Eurojust and UAE Sign Arrangement to Strengthen Cooperation Against Money Laundering and Cross-Border Crime

Eurojust and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Working Arrangement aimed at strengthening judicial cooperation and information exchange in investigations involving serious cross-border crime, including money laundering, fraud, cybercrime and drug trafficking.

The arrangement was signed on September 28, 2026, in Abu Dhabi by Eurojust President Michael Schmid and UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi during the United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

Eurojust said the agreement provides a framework for closer strategic cooperation between the agency and competent UAE authorities. It is the 14th Working Arrangement signed by Eurojust with a country outside the European Union.

The cooperation covers serious and organised crime that crosses jurisdictions. Eurojust has identified money laundering, fraud, drug trafficking, property crime and cybercrime among the areas where cooperation with UAE authorities is relevant.

The agency has also highlighted the use of the UAE by some organised criminal groups targeting EU countries, including groups involved in underground banking and the remote direction of criminal activities.

The new arrangement formalises cooperation that has already developed between Eurojust and UAE authorities. In July 2025, the two sides held an expert workshop in Abu Dhabi involving prosecutors from the UAE's seven emirates, central authority officials and representatives of the UAE's Interpol office. The discussions included international judicial cooperation, cybercrime, money laundering and asset recovery.

The arrangement provides a framework for strategic contact and information exchange but does not itself create a general legal basis for the routine transfer of operational personal data. Such exchanges remain subject to the applicable legal framework and safeguards governing personal data and fundamental rights.

The development follows a September 10 proposal by the European Commission to open negotiations for broader Eurojust cooperation agreements with eight non-EU countries, including the UAE. If concluded, such an agreement would establish a legal basis for the exchange of operational personal data and closer cooperation between Eurojust and UAE authorities in criminal matters.

The proposed agreement is separate from the Working Arrangement signed in Abu Dhabi. The Commission's proposal remains subject to the EU negotiation and approval process.

Eurojust's existing cooperation with the UAE includes designated contact arrangements intended to facilitate communication between judicial authorities and support requests for international cooperation. The agency's strategy for cooperation with international partners for 2024–2027 identifies the Gulf region as an area where judicial cooperation should be further developed.

The new arrangement does not announce any specific criminal investigation, prosecution, asset seizure or enforcement action. Its purpose is to provide a more structured framework for cooperation between Eurojust and the UAE on cross-border criminal matters.

By fLEXI tEAM