Parliamentary State Secretary Mr Christian Lange said: ‘Since my very first visit in 2015, Eurojust and the German Desk have made tremendous progress. The cases brought from Germany to Eurojust for support have rocketed by an incredible 785% since 2014. Eurojust has become a most valuable partner for the German Prosecution Service and an indispensable part of the security chain of the EU. I am pleased to learn that Eurojust has fulfilled its tasks nearly undiminished during the pandemic.’

Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran stated: ’It is a great pleasure to welcome Mr Lange back to Eurojust. His visit is a clear sign of Germany’s commitment to working closely with our Agency to create a safer Europe. I am grateful for the German government’s support of our mission and tasks, and am certain that it will play an important role in our efforts to face future challenges related to digitalisation, globalisation and the corresponding resource needs.’

The German Prosecution Service has increased its use of Eurojust’s coordination mechanism considerably over the last years. In 2021, up to August, Germany had already brought 429 cases at the Agency to other Member States.

This represents an increase of 28,48 % compared with the same period last year. For the same period, other Member States and third countries asked Germany for judicial cooperation in 437 cases. Last year, Germany was involved in a record number of 1 083 cases registered at Eurojust. The total number for 2021 is expected to surpass this number.