On the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Lebanon on the cooperation between… the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) and the authorities of the Republic of Lebanon competent for judicial cooperation in criminal matters

The proposed Council Decision aims to approve the Agreement between the European Union and the Lebanese Republic on the cooperation between the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) and the authorities of the Lebanese Republic competent for judicial cooperation in criminal matters (the ‘Agreement’).

International agreements on cooperation allow Eurojust to cooperate closely and exchange personal data with competent authorities of selected third countries, as they guarantee that adequate safeguards are in place with respect to the protection of personal data of individuals. The close cooperation of Eurojust with competent authorities of third countries is essential to combat a wide range of serious and complex cross-border crime offences such as terrorism, cybercrime, drug and illicit arms trafficking or migrant smuggling.

Close cooperation with third countries is envisaged to be an integral part of the new European Internal Security Strategy. The Commission recommended to open the negotiations of the Agreement already in 2020. The Council provided its authorisation on 1 March 2021, and the negotiations started later in December 2022. After two rounds of talks, the negotiation process was successfully finalised, reaching preliminary agreement on 11 October 2023. The Agreement was adopted by the Council on 10 October 2024. The Agreement was signed by Commissioner Michael McGrath and Lebanese Minister of Justice, Adel Nassar, on 2 December 2025.

The objective of this Agreement is to enhance judicial cooperation between Eurojust and the competent authorities of Lebanon by enabling the exchange of operational information between Eurojust and the Lebanese judicial authorities, in order to support and strengthen their cooperation in investigating and prosecuting serious cross-border crime offences. The Agreement will significantly strengthen the coordinated response of the EU and Lebanon to transnational serious crime, in particular organised crime and terrorism, including in the context of joint investigations. For this reason, Lebanon will appoint a Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust who will work alongside the prosecutors from the EU Member States and other partner countries.

The Agreement also provides for strong safeguards on data protection and fundamental rights that comply with the European norms. According to the Opinion 19/2024 of the European Data Protection Supervisor (the ‘EDPS’) from 28 August 2024, the final text of the Agreement adduces adequate safeguards with respect to the protection of privacy and fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, providing additional safeguards for the protection of personal data of EU citizens transferred by Eurojust to Lebanese authorities. In this respect, the Commission briefed the rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs on 13 April 2026, confirming that the Agreement does not undermine privacy and data protection in favour of security in any way.

In light of the above, the Rapporteur recommends that Parliament endorses the draft Council Decision text.

The rapporteur declares under his exclusive responsibility that he did not include in his report input from interest representatives falling within the scope of the Interinstitutional Agreement on a mandatory transparency register, or from representatives of public authorities of third countries, including their diplomatic missions and embassies, to be listed in this Annex pursuant to Article 8 of Annex I to the Rules of Procedure.