What is Europol?

The European Police Office (Europol) is an international organization with legal personality.It is
controlled by a Management Board, which is formed by one representative from each member state
and an additional one from the European Commission. It takes most of its decisions by a two-thirds vote.
The United Kingdom's representative is Mr Peter Storr, who is the International Director and Senior
Director for the International and Immigration Policy Group.

Where it is located?

 Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands,

Europol is headed by an Executive Director, who is Europol’s legal representative and is appointed by
the Council of the European Union. Europol’s current Executive Director is Catherine De Bolle, who
assumed the post in May 2018.

She is assisted by three Deputy Executive Directors:

 Operations Directorate- Jean-Philippe Lecouffe

 Governance Directorate -Jürgen Ebner
 Capabilities Directorate- Luis de Eusebio Ramos

Europol’s origin and development

 Europol was established in 1992 by the Maastricht Treaty and began limited operations in 1994.

 It progressively expanded its mandate to other areas of transnational crime, becoming fully
operational in July 1999. It initially had a non-operating nature and was intended to share
information on transnational crime issues.

 Europol was given a more expanded counterterrorist mandate after 9/11, but its role was limited
due to the tendency of some Member States to favour their domestic investigative authorities.

 In 2009, Europol was transformed into a EU agency by the European Council Decision
2009/371/JHA. The Lisbon Treaty has also affected Europol due to the greater number of decisions
that can be taken by majority voting in the sector of police cooperation.

 Since 2013, Europol has also included the European cybercrime Centre (EC3) to fight against
cybercrime at transnational level.
Core function of Europol

 Europol’s mission is to support its Member States in preventing and combating all forms of
serious international and organized crime, cybercrime and terrorism.
 Europol also works with many non-EU partner states and international organizations.
 Europol is a high-security operational centre that operates non-stop: 24 hours a day, seven days
a week.
 Europol is accountable at the EU level to the Council of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs.

Large-scale criminal and terrorist networks pose a significant threat to the internal security of the EU
and to the safety and livelihood of its people. The biggest security threats come from:

 terrorism;  organized fraud

 international drug trafficking and money  the counterfeiting of euros
laundering  trafficking in human beings.

Facts and figures on Europol

 More than 1400 staff  Thousands of international investigations

 264 Europol Liaison Officers supported each year
 Became an official EU agency on 1
January 2010

Mandate

Europol supports investigations initiated by Member States, but never arrests citizens. Prioritizing crimes
is determined by EMPACT.

EMPACT is a multidisciplinary cooperation to fight organized and serious international crime. Europol is
the central European office for combating euro counterfeiting and enjoys excellent cooperative
arrangements with law enforcement partners in Europe and beyond. It also values its accountability
arrangements, which are among the most robust and transparent in the world.

Europol’s operational activities focus on:

 illicit drugs  euro counterfeiting  intellectual property

 trafficking in human  VAT fraud crime
beings  money laundering and  cigarette smuggling
 facilitated illegal asset tracing  outlawing motorcycle
immigration  mobile organized- gangs
 cybercrime crime groups  terrorism
COUNTRY MEMBERS OF EUROPOL

Europol, also known as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, has 27 member
countries, which are all members of the European Union (EU). The member countries are:

 Austria  France  Malta

 Belgium  Germany  Netherlands

 Bulgaria,  Greece  Poland

 Croatia  Hungary  Portugal

 Cyprus  Ireland  Romania

 Czech Republic  Italy  Slovakia

 Denmark  Latvia  Slovenia

 Estonia  Lithuana  Spain

 Finland  Luxembourg  Sweden

Importance of Europol Members

The country members of Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, are very
important as they contribute to the overall effectiveness of Europol in fighting crime and maintaining
security in the EU.

Each member country contributes to Europol by providing expertise, intelligence, and resources to
support its operations. This allows Europol to pool resources and coordinate efforts across different
countries to combat cross-border crime, such as human trafficking, terrorism, cybercrime, and organized
crime.

Furthermore, being a member of Europol allows countries to access its databases and intelligence-
sharing platforms, which can help them to identify and track criminals across borders. It also allows for
greater cooperation and coordination between law enforcement agencies across the EU.

Therefore, the country members of Europol play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and security of the
EU, and their contributions are vital for the success of Europol's mission.
Role of Europol in combating Transnational Crime

 Their primary task is to assist in information sharing for the purpose of combating crime through
both prevention and law enforcement and by responding to requests for mutual police and judicial
assistance in criminal matters.

 Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europols mission is to support its Member States in
preventing and combating all forms of serious international and organized crime, cybercrime and
terrorism. Europol also works with many non-EU partner states and international organizations.

 This includes developing or strengthening legislation to criminalize the laundering of the proceeds
of crime and to comply with other FATF standards, training of officials, and increasing the ability to
identify and interdict cross-border transportation of illegal cash or other negotiable instruments.