On 25 June 2026, the Council of the European Union published a proposal for a decision authorising the signing of an agreement between the EU and Algeria that would allow Eurojust and Algerian judicial authorities to cooperate and exchange personal data in criminal matters, subject to strict data protection and human rights safeguards. The agreement, which has no budgetary implications for the Union budget, provides a legal basis for exchanging operational personal data for judicial cooperation in criminal matters, with adequate safeguards for privacy and fundamental rights. Algeria gave its final agreement on 3 February 2026, following negotiations that ran from April 2022 to August 2025.
The agreement shall not enter into application until both parties have notified each other that obligations, including data protection, are fulfilled and accepted (Article 31(3)). A party may postpone personal data transfers if the other party has not provided for and implemented the safeguards in Chapter II of the agreement (Article 34(4)). No information exchanged may be used in connection with the death penalty or human rights violations (Article 10(6)). The EU and Algeria shall jointly review implementation one year after entry into application and at regular intervals; they shall jointly evaluate the agreement four years after entry into application (Article 33).
The proposal is expected to be adopted by the Council at a meeting on 29 June 2026. Once signed, the agreement will require ratification by both parties before it can take effect.