On 25 June 2026, the European Commission published a proposal for a Council decision to conclude an agreement between the European Union and Algeria that would allow Eurojust and Algerian judicial authorities to exchange personal data for criminal justice cooperation. The agreement, negotiated under Article 56(2)(c) of the Eurojust Regulation (EU) 2018/1727, provides a legal basis for operational personal data transfers in the absence of an EU adequacy decision for Algeria. It would affect Eurojust, Algerian judicial authorities, and individuals whose data is processed in serious crime investigations.
The proposal, submitted by the Commission's Justice and Consumers Directorate-General (DG JUST), is a formal step to finalise an agreement whose negotiations were authorised by the Council on 1 March 2021. Technical agreement was reached by August 2025, and Algeria gave its final approval on 3 February 2026. The agreement requires Algeria to designate at least one contact point (Article 4), allows for a Liaison Prosecutor to be seconded to Eurojust (Article 5), and permits Eurojust to post a Liaison Magistrate to Algeria (Article 7). Data protection safeguards cover purpose limitation, data minimisation, special categories of data, onward transfer restrictions, individual rights (access, rectification, erasure), judicial redress, and independent supervision (Articles 10-22). The agreement shall not enter into application until both parties notify each other of fulfilled obligations (Article 31(3)); a party may postpone data transfers if the other has not implemented Chapter II safeguards (Article 34(4)). No budgetary implications for the Union budget are foreseen.
The proposal represents a trade-off between enabling effective cross-border criminal justice cooperation and ensuring robust data protection. For Eurojust, the agreement expands its operational reach to a key North African partner, potentially improving investigations into serious crime such as terrorism and organised crime. For Algerian authorities, it provides a structured framework for cooperation with Eurojust, but requires compliance with EU data protection standards, including independent supervision and individual redress mechanisms. For individuals whose data is processed, the safeguards offer protections, but the agreement may raise privacy concerns given the lack of an EU adequacy decision for Algeria. The Council must now adopt the decision before the agreement can be concluded; no prior coverage of this file exists in the available record.