The Hague, 5 October 2023
The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, Europol, has become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine. The Prosecutors General of the seven countries involved and Ms Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, signed the agreement today during the 17th Meeting of the Consultative Forum of Prosecutors General at Eurojust.
The JIT was set up on 25 March 2022 by Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine with Eurojust’s support. On 31 May 2022, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia became members, followed by Romania on 13 October 2022. On 3 March 2023, the JIT’s seven national authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Department of Justice. Europol joins Eurojust and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as participants in the JIT.
In line with its mandate, Europol will provide analytical and forensic support to the members of the JIT. In addition, Europol will support the collection and analysis of data legally obtained from open sources such as social media, broadcast television and radio, known collectively as open-source intelligence (OSINT).
Europol will also make available its expertise and experience in the field of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other international crimes via the Analysis Project on Core International Crimes (AP CIC).
Eurojust provides legal, logistical, financial and analytical support to the JIT. Since March 2022, the Agency has hosted 19 coordination meetings of the JIT and other national authorities that are investigating alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine.
For more information on the various actions taken by Eurojust since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, please consult our dedicated webpage, which includes a Q&A with answers to the most common questions and recordings of press conferences and other related events.
