‘The motto of the Czech Presidency, “Europe as a Task: rethink, rebuild, repower”, comes from a public declaration by the first Czech President, Václav Havel. When addressing the future of our continent in 1996, he reflected that “the task of Europe today is to rediscover its conscience and its sense of responsibility in the deepest sense of the word, not just with regard to its own political architecture but also with regard to the world as a whole.” What he had in mind was a Europe that inspires and leads by example.

And indeed, a strong parallel could be drawn with what we do in our agency. Eurojust will be facing fundamental challenges in the months to come. The implementation of the recently amended Eurojust Regulation relating to core international crimes, the Digitalisation of Justice programme and the new Case Management System are just some of them. These and many other questions shall be addressed by the Agency, while always maintaining a strong focus on our primary operational role.

I am convinced that, despite the differences that may exist among us, we will do so successfully. Not only because Eurojust is truly a shining example of functional international judicial cooperation, but also because we have a common goal: namely, to assist our colleagues back home in delivering justice. This is what has driven Eurojust for the last 20 years and it is exactly what will drive the Czech Presidency. With that, I would like to wish us all good luck!’