EU justice ministers discuss cooperation in fighting cross-border crime

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 27, 2023. Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday. (Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday.

"Organized crime has never posed such a threat to the EU and its citizens as it does today," Sweden's Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer said in a press release. "This is particularly true in Sweden. Effective judicial cooperation is therefore crucial as we step up the fight against cross-border crime."

At the meeting, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) presented its work to support the coordination of cross-border criminal investigations by national authorities. The ministers discussed the important role of Eurojust and a new instrument for the transfer of proceedings and how this contributes to the fight against organized crime.

"It is important that (EU) member states draw on the experience of previous national prosecutions of core international crimes and cooperate through Eurojust," Strommer said.

The participants in the two-day meeting, which started on Thursday, also discussed migration challenges.

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders (L) and Swedish Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer attend a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 27, 2023. Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday. (Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 27, 2023. Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday. (Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)