Can CJEU litigation affect ongoing criminal investigations that rely on Europol data?

CJEU proceedings do not automatically suspend criminal investigations in EU Member States. However, a successful judgment ordering data deletion or declaring processing unlawful can have significant downstream effects. National courts may be required to exclude evidence derived from unlawfully processed Europol data, and prosecuting authorities may face challenges to the admissibility of intelligence obtained through SIENA or EIS. Coordinating CJEU litigation with domestic criminal defence strategy is often necessary to maximise the practical impact on parallel proceedings.