For the ECR Group, the European Commission’s proposals to strengthen Europol point in the right direction. Organised crime, terrorism and cybercrime increasingly operate across borders, while law enforcement too often remains constrained by fragmented information and national jurisdictions.

Europol can help Member States close those gaps, provided it remains firmly at the service of national authorities. “We often say crime knows no borders, but I would put it differently: criminals love borders. They love borders because they can easily move to another jurisdiction when law enforcement gets too close. This is where we need Europol to step in and step up,” said Assita Kanko, ECR Coordinator in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Kanko said:

“The ECR Group is a strong supporter of Europol as it assists the Member States in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. And we need to strengthen Europol’s mandate to make it even more effective.

“Europol must be able to process and analyse large amounts of important data on criminal activities. It must be able to assist Member States in real time, while investigations and law enforcement actions are ongoing. And Europol must be a hub for international cooperation with partners such as the US, the UK and Japan.”

For the ECR Group, Europol must also help national authorities deal with the technological evolution of organised crime, from cybercrime and encrypted networks to artificial intelligence and large-scale criminal data flows.

Kanko said:

“Criminals love technology and our law enforcement services are often catching up with them. Europol can also play a crucial role here as a European hub for the development of new technological tools that it and our Member States can use in their fight against organised crime.”

At the same time, the ECR Group stresses that a stronger Europol must not become a back door to centralising national policing powers at EU level. Europol should support, coordinate and provide added value, while operational responsibility remains with the Member States.

Kanko concluded:

“The ECR Group will put the brakes on where other political forces may want to transfer competences from national authorities to Europol. The Agency must always be at the service of Member States, not replace or duplicate their police organisations. National security and public order must remain national competences and Member States must stay in charge of law enforcement on their own territory.”

The Commission’s proposals will be debated in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on Thursday morning.