In relation to Eurojust, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union will put a particular focus on tackling serious organised drug-related crime. Special attention will be paid to the use of logistic hubs for this type of cross-border crime and, more specifically, how to combat drug trafficking via major ports. The Presidency will also prioritise the importance of victims’ rights and small-scale detention as an alternative to prisons for small groups of offenders with short sentences.
Commenting on the priorities of the Belgian EU Presidency, Ms Hilde Vandevoorde, National Member for Belgium at Eurojust, said: ‘The Belgian Presidency has put forward different priorities that are of direct importance in the daily work of the judicial practitioners. Tackling large-scale drug-related organised crime groups using logistic hubs and, more specifically, large ports is the top priority. As this crime type always has a major cross-border aspect, the role of Eurojust is essential in helping EU Member States and third countries to cooperate.’
Belgium currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU until 30 June 2024. With regard to major drug-related cross-border crime, during the Belgian Presidency Eurojust will work closely with its judicial partners in third countries, from which large-scale illicit exports of drugs take place. For this purpose, the Agency can build on a network of over 70 Contact Points worldwide and its counterparts in Latin America.
These include, in particular, the Association of Ibero-Amerian Public Prosecutors (AIAMP) and the Ibero-American Network of International Legal Cooperation (IberRED). In view of extending cross-border judicial cooperation, the European Commission is negotiating international agreements with Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, which will further enable collaboration via Eurojust.
In its priorities for judicial cooperation during its Presidency, Belgium will also underline the role of small-scale detention as an alternative to prisons. Across Belgium, around 700 spaces will be created in small-scale detention for prisoners who have received up to three years of imprisonment as a sentence.
For groups of 20 to 60 offenders per centre, a programme has been set up to work on their reintegration and abilities to live independently. For the Belgian authorities, the detention houses play a major role in preventing prisoners from committing new offences.
During the Presidency, the importance of victims’ rights will also be highlighted. Victims’ rights play an essential cross-cutting role in the judicial process in Belgium, and to promote the international dimension a dedicated symposium will be held at Eurojust in April this year.
An estimated 15 % of European citizens fall victim to crime every year, with Eurojust also focusing specifically on the importance of their interests in judicial proceedings. The Belgian Presidency will also concentrate on pending legal initiatives, which are currently still being discussed with the European Parliament, particularly those concerning trafficking in human beings, violence against women and the transfer of proceedings.
In line with an established tradition at Eurojust for every Member State holding the residency of the Council, an exhibition of artwork will be organised. At the end of January 2024, the Belgian sculptor Damien Moreau will display a large collection of his statues at the Agency, some of which have been specifically created in relation to the Presidency.
