On 8 October, the EJN held its 18th National Correspondents’ Meeting under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, bringing together National Correspondents from across the EU to discuss the functioning of the Network and current developments in judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The day before, on 7 October, a joint meeting between the EJN Presidency Board and Eurojust senior management took place, followed by EJN’s Presidency Board meeting, in the presence of the nominated Contact Points and representatives of the incoming and outgoing Presidencies of the EU.
At the start of the National Correspondents’ Meeting, Mr Michael Schmid, President of Eurojust, addressed the National Correspondents in the context of the ongoing discussions on the European Commission’s proposal for the revision of the Eurojust Regulation. His intervention provided an opportunity to exchange views on the future cooperation between the EJN and Eurojust.
Another key focus of the meeting was the future of the EJN. National Correspondents discussed the Network’s communication strategy, the strengthening of its functioning, the development of a strategic vision for the EJN website and work of the EJN Working Groups.
The National Correspondents also reviewed EJN’s activities in 2026 and planning for the coming years, including the EJN Work Programme and budget execution, the draft action plan for awareness raising, the next steps in data protection, and they were encouraged to make use of the available funding for organising a Regional or National EJN meeting. Otherwise, they exchanged information on mutual evaluations and cooperation with EU institutions. In addition, the meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of EJN’s reporting activities and website projects.
An important part of the meeting was dedicated to the e-evidence package, to the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters and to the European Commission’s proposal to revise the European Investigation Order (EIO).
The meeting further addressed EJN’s cooperation with candidate and potential candidate countries, third countries and other judicial networks. This includes the cooperation with Ukraine, the Western Balkan, Latin America and other partner networks. Judicial training and cooperation with the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) was also addressed.
The National Correspondents had the opportunity to provide updates from their respective Member States, including developments concerning the organisation of the EJN, the e-Evidence package and the nomination of Contact Points.
This 18th National Correspondents’ Meeting reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation among the EJN’s National Correspondents and of the Network’s role in strengthening practical judicial cooperation across Europe and beyond.
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