On 1 October 2026, Dutch EJN Contact Points welcomed French EJN Contact Points to a joint EJN meeting at the Dutch Residence in Paris.
The first topic addressed was the fight against drug trafficking, with a particular focus on the arrest of drug extractors operating in the port of Rotterdam. Two prosecutors explained how the port of Rotterdam, as a major logistical hub, can attract organised crime. They outlined how public and private partners in Rotterdam work together to combat drug-related organised crime, counter its subversive effects and strengthen the port’s resilience. They also presented the latest trends and developments in tackling this type of organised crime and expressed their willingness to share expertise and work closely with their French counterparts, particularly the PNACO (Parquet National Anticriminalité Organisée).
The second topic concerned the Directive 2024/1260 on asset recovery and confiscation. Two prosecutors representing the Dutch National Public Prosecutor’s Office (NPPO), specialising in serious fraud and financial crime, environmental crime, and asset recovery and confiscation began by providing an overview of the types of cases handled by their office. They invited the French authorities to get in touch should a need for international cooperation arise in any of these areas of expertise. They then presented the current state of implementation of the Directive in the Netherlands and its expected impact on confiscation practice. The Directive will bring changes to day-to-day practice and requires the introduction of new legislative provisions. The French representative from the Ministry of Justice explained that French legislation is already largely in line with the requirements of the new Directive.
The third topic concerned the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) procedure, with a particular focus on temporary surrender to France. The conditions imposed by the Amsterdam Court are intended to ensure that the requested person is returned to the Netherlands. These include the requirement that the person must not be released at the end of the pre-trail detention, but must instead be returned to the Netherlands.
Lastly, the French delegates from the BEPI (Bureau de l’Entraide Pénale Internationale / the Office for International Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters) also raised questions about the guarantee required by the Amsterdam Court of Amsterdam regarding prison conditions. Under Article 1(3) of Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA and in light of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Amsterdam Court considers itself obliged to assess detention conditions when objective, reliable, specific and properly updated information indicates that concerns may arise. The assessment may be based on evidence submitted by the defence counsel or conducted by the court of its own motion. Fortunately, the majority of the French EAWs has been approved since 2025. However, at least seven French EAWs have been refused on these grounds. The Dutch and French experts will therefore continue to work closely together to improve communication and address this issue.
Our experience was that these discussions deepened the EJN Contact Points’ understanding of the topics addressed and of each other’s national systems. They also reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to strong judicial cooperation in the fight against impunity.
The meeting benefited from the contributions of all EJN Contact Points involved, as well as Mr Hugh Dockry, Secretary to the EJN, who provided an overview of the Secretariat’s main activities of het Secretariat over the past year and upcoming events.