In 2002, the year Eurojust was established, the Agency handled its first 217 cases. Twenty years on, the Agency has supported 10 105 cross-border criminal investigations, with an increase of 15% in 2021, compared to the previous year. Eurojust’s casework continues to grow from year to year.

In 2021, just under half of the total number of cases – 4 808 – were newly opened, in spite of the difficult circumstances imposed by the continuing pandemic. The remaining 5 297 cases represent ongoing cases, opened in previous years, which the Agency continued to support in 2021.

From 2003 until 2016, the number of new cases opened was always higher than the number of ongoing cases. Since 2017, this trend has changed, with the number of ongoing cases superseding the number of new cases per year, reflecting the sustained assistance required over long periods by many of the increasingly complex investigations Eurojust supports.