The EU's Justice and Home Affairs Agencies have published a Joint Paper on the work performed by the Agencies since the beginning of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.
Background
Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022, triggered a firm and overarching political response by the European Union. Actions in the justice and home affairs policy field form integral parts of a successful and efficient response. The nine EU Agencies cooperating within the Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network (JHAAN) play a vital role in this process by contributing to the implementation of political decisions made at the European level, assisting Member States and other countries, and providing support to people affected by the war, in particular persons displaced from Ukraine.
The JHAAN issued a Joint Statement on 7 March 2022, declaring the nine Agencies’ commitment to provide assistance, in line with the measures agreed at the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 3-4 March 2022, and the outcomes of the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting on 27 February 2022. Consequently, policy developments, such as the 10-Point Plan of the European Commission for stronger European coordination on welcoming people fleeing the war from Ukraine, have also guided the Agencies’ response.
The contributions of the Agencies are determined by their respective mandates, and in many cases, they build on synergies established by inter-agency cooperation. Despite existing challenges in terms of resources, each of the nine Agencies engaged in a substantial number of actions in a very short time, and the Agencies provided tangible solutions and support. This would not have been possible without the commitment of the Agencies and their staff to do their utmost and to contribute to the EU solidarity in this historic period.
While the JHA Agencies’ responses cover a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from actions on the ground to those in cyberspace, the most prominent actions included:
- Producing targeted analytical products and reports;
- Identifying key fundamental rights challenges and ways to overcome them;
- Providing operational support to investigations of core international crimes allegedly
- committed in Ukraine;
- Providing operational support to national authorities, with a particular emphasis on
- Member States bordering Ukraine and Moldova;
- Information provision-related activities and support;
- Contributing to the enforcement of EU sanctions; and
- Supporting the authorities of Ukraine and Moldova.
The first overview of the response of JHA Agencies was prepared by CEPOL as the chairing agency of the JHAAN in 2022. The current overview was prepared by the EUAA Presidency of the JHAAN (2023) and covers the period February 2022-February 2023. The aim of the report is to present to the European Institutions and the general public a concise, comprehensive document, to be used as a source of reference, on how the nine JHA Agencies support the EU, Member States and several EU partners (third countries and international organisations) in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As long as the current circumstances remain unchanged, it is considered as a living document to be updated regularly.
