DOJ, EU agency to establish working arrangements vs transnational crimes
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, in the Hague, have agreed to create cooperative working arrangements in the fight against transnational crimes — those whose planning, execution and impact cross borders.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Justice said Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla visited the Eurojust headquarters in The Hague last week.
Eurojust facilitates coordination among national judicial authorities of EU Member States and cooperates with outside states in investigating and prosecuting transnational crimes.
Remulla said the meeting “paves the way for more exchanges of information and best practices on the institutional and policy level.”
The meeting also “fosters closer coordination among our agencies in terms of investigation and prosecution of specific transnational crimes,” he added.
Remulla and the Philippine delegation, including Philippine Ambassador to The Netherlands Eduardo Malaya, were welcomed by Eurojust president Ladislav Hamran.
During the visit, Eurojust Chair for Board on Relations and Partners Jose de la Mata also briefed the delegation on the agency’s partnerships.
“The two sides agreed to establish cooperative working arrangements between their respective agencies,” the DOJ said.
Malaya meanwhile said the visit is a “valuable opportunity to explore cooperation against cross-border crimes, especially online sexual exploitation of children.”
The 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the United States has found that the Philippines still does not have enough resources to enforce laws against sexual exploitation of minors, keeping child abuse a significant problem in the country.
With Remulla in the Philippine delegation were representatives of the National Bureau of Investigation and National Prosecution Service.
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