A historic 17th century painting by the Italian baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi has been returned to Italy, with the active support of Eurojust. Two suspects are being investigated for fraud and attempts to illegally sell the painting of the legend of Roman Charity in Austria.

Authorities in Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland have dismantled a criminal network involved in a large-scale VAT fraud concerning tobacco smuggling. The estimated damage caused by the tax evasion to the European Union budget amounts to over EUR 8 750 000.

With the support of Eurojust, authorities in Finland, Germany, Belgium and Latvia have succeeded in striking a blow against the operators of various fraudulent online investment platforms that have defrauded victims from 11 different countries out of several million euros.

Supported by Eurojust and Europol, judicial and law enforcement authorities in Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and the United States dismantled a criminal network involved in migrant smuggling, document fraud and money laundering.

Supported by Eurojust and Europol, authorities in Spain and Italy have taken action against two organised crime groups with suspected links to the ‘Ndrangheta mafia and allegedly involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and extortion.

Eurojust, the Genocide Network and the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have published practical guidelines for civil society organisations on documenting core international crimes, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The guidelines aim to assist in fighting impunity and have been drawn up building on the expertise of the Office of the Prosecutor at the ICC, Eurojust, the Genocide Network, civil society organisations, national prosecutors and international partners. In a technical briefing on 6 October, the guidelines were discussed with representatives of several civil society organisations.

Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran has started the new WB CRIM JUST project for cooperation with and between the six partners in the Western Balkans, with a series of visits to the region. His first visit led him to Belgrade and Sarajevo.

Jan MacLean has started as new National Member for Germany at Eurojust, succeeding former Vice-President of the Agency Klaus Meyer-Cabri. Mr MacLean has long-standing experience and expertise in international judicial cooperation, including involvement in the implementation and revision of the legal basis of Eurojust.

Supported by Eurojust and Europol, authorities in France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have dismantled a criminal network suspected of using small boats to smuggle up to 10 000 migrants across the English Channel. It is believed to be the biggest ever international operation targeting small boat people smugglers.

On 15-17 June 2022 the 59th Plenary Meeting of the European Judicial Network (EJN), held under the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, took place in Bordeaux, France.

The Nuremberg Academy hosted the third 'Joint Training on the Investigation and Prosecution of Core International Crimes', organised in Nuremberg by the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) and the Genocide Network Secretariat (GNS) hosted by Eurojust, from 22 to 24 June 2022.

The 31st plenary meeting of the Genocide Network, convened by the French Presidency, took take place on 6 and 7 April 2022 in a hybrid format. The notion and use of structural investigations in relation to core international crimes cases was discussed during the first half of the Open Session (6 April). The second part of the day delved into main highlights of the Koblenz trial, concerning a high-ranking Syrian official convicted for crimes against humanity. Various perspectives (from investigators, forensic experts, prosecutors, victims and civil society) provided an in-depth overview of the trial and underlined best practices.

Michael Schmid is returning to Eurojust to take up his new role as National Member for Austria, replacing Gerhard Jarosch. Until last year, Mr Schmid was a deputy National Member at the Agency, and previously an assistant at the Austrian desk. In his previous role at Eurojust, he was Vice-Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Team among his other responsibilities.

The 12th Plenary Meeting of the European Judicial Cybercrime Network (EJCN) focused on the new challenges posed by cryptocurrencies to law enforcement and judicial authorities. Hosted by Eurojust in a hybrid format, the EJCN Plenary also paid special attention to the implications of the war in Ukraine in cyber-enabled crime.

Organised by the European Commission, together with Eurojust, the first informal meeting of the focus group of specialised prosecutors against trafficking in human beings brought together prosecutors and judges from the European Union Member States.

Ransomware has become a global problem that requires cooperation on a worldwide level. Judicial experts and practitioners from the European Union and the United States participated in a two-day workshop in The Hague organised by Eurojust and the U.S. Department of Justice. The event aimed to share best practices and enhance collaboration in confronting ransomware attacks.

In a dedicated conference, judicial practitioners from EU Member States and the South Partner Countries shared good practices for the more effective application of environmental law. The main aim of the event was to explore the development of a network of magistrates specialised in environmental law on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea.

Italian and Austrian authorities have dismantled a massive fraud scheme set up by a criminal network that used Italian companies to simulate business leases and false tax credits. The perpetrators deprived the Italian authorities of at least EUR 440 million. With the help of Eurojust, approximately 90% of the proceeds have been recovered.

At the request of the Estonian authorities, Eurojust and Europol have assisted the takedown of an online investment fraud scheme, which defrauded victims of at least EUR 20 million. Authorities in six countries supported the operation during which more than fifty servers and services were seized.

Authorities in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands conducted an operation against a major drug trafficking network, which allegedly used the art trade in the Netherlands to launder the profits of its illegal business. Eurojust coordinated and supported the action, which led to the arrest of 24 suspects.