Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nine Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) agencies (CEPOL, EASO
, EIGE, EMCDDA, eu-LISA, Eurojust, Europol, FRA and Frontex) have been supporting the Member States and EU institutions in meeting the unprecedented challenges resulting from the outbreak of the virus - each agency in its respective area of work, in both the short term and the long term.
In the past months, all JHA agencies have taken the necessary measures to ensure business continuity and uninterrupted operational support. At the same time, the Justice and Home Affairs agencies' network (JHAAN), under the chairmanship of Eurojust, has initiated a dialogue to share their experiences in dealing with the pandemic and consider new avenues for closer cooperation among the agencies and with key stakeholders inside and outside the EU.
The agencies’ individual and joint efforts to deal with the impact of the pandemic have been captured in a Joint Paper on the COVID-19 response by the JHA agencies, which was formally endorsed by the heads of JHA agencies during a videoconference held on 9 July. During their meeting, the heads discussed the latest developments, including the fundamental rights implications of government COVID-19 measures, the quick adaptation of organised crime to the changing circumstances and the recent surge in drug use, domestic violence and child abuse.
To tackle these and other issues more effectively related to the protection of citizens and freedoms, there is a need for increased interagency cooperation in the field of digitalisation and for sustainable financial resources in the coming years.
The COVID-19 pandemic coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Justice and Home Affairs agencies' network. In the past decade, this family of JHA agencies joined forces as guardians of the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. Together, they contributed to the implementation of EU’s objectives in the fields of migration, asylum and external border management, the fight against serious organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, gender equality and respect for fundamental rights.
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Further reading:
The nine members of the JHA Agencies Network are:
- European Asylum Support Office (EASO) ;
- European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex);
- European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE);
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA);
- European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA);
- European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) ;
- European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL);
- European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA);
- European Union Judicial Cooperation Unit (EUROJUST).
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