On the occasion of her first visit to Eurojust, Moldovan President Ms Maia Sandu said: ‘Moldova is working to become a stronger, more reliable security partner in Europe. Our cooperation with Eurojust enables us to join forces in combating complex cross-border crimes, contributing to a safer Europe united against organised crime groups. Through our joint efforts, we aim to ensure that both our country and Europe as a whole remain one step ahead of criminals, underscoring our commitment to justice and security.’

Eurojust President Mr Ladislav Hamran stated: ‘Organised crime threatens and erodes our societies. An effective response requires us to work across borders, which is why Moldova’s further integration into the EU’s judicial cooperation architecture is among Eurojust’s key priorities. President Sandu’s visit to Eurojust today highlights the vision we share on the importance and potential of ever closer cooperation between both our sides, and we look forward to increasing numbers of joint casework.’

The Republic of Moldova and Eurojust signed a cooperation agreement in July 2014, which entered into force in October 2016. This agreement enables the Moldovan authorities to second a Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust to provide support in cross-border investigations involving their country. The Liaison Prosecutors stationed at the Agency’s headquarters in The Hague work side by side with their colleagues from EU Member States in the fight against serious organised crime and terrorism.

Over the past five years, judicial cooperation between Moldovan authorities and Eurojust has increased considerably: between 2018 and 2022, 91 cases involving Moldova were registered at Eurojust. As of 31 July this year, 16 cases have already been registered, more than in the whole of 2022. Recent successful examples of this cooperation have been an operation targeting border bribery, a joint action day against cryptocurrency fraud, and the arrest of 11 alleged traffickers of high-risk doping substances.