Website: European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)

Europol is the European Union’s law enforcement agency whose main goal is to help achieve a safer Europe for the benefit of all EU citizens. The agency does this by assisting the European Union’s Member States in their fight against serious international crime and terrorism.

As the European Union’s law enforcement agency, Europol’s mission is to support its Member States in preventing and combating all forms of serious international crime and terrorism. Its role is to help achieve a safer Europe for the benefit of all EU citizens by supporting law enforcement authorities through the exchange and analysis of criminal intelligence.

Main goals and vision
+ To function as the principal EU support centre for law enforcement operations
+ To become the criminal information hub of the European Union
+ To develop further as an EU centre for law enforcement expertise

The idea for police cooperation between member states to combat terrorism, drug trafficking and other international crime was given significance in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty on the European Union, which made Justice and Home Affairs one of the three pillars of the new EU.

Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europol assists the 28 EU Member States in their fight against serious international crime and terrorism. It also works with many non-EU partner states and international organisations.

Large-scale criminal and terrorist networks posed a significant threat to the internal security of the EU. Terrorism, cybercrime and people smuggling, to name just a few, pose a severe threat to the safety and livelihood of its people. The biggest security threats come from:

+ terrorism
+ international drug trafficking and money laundering
+ organised fraud
+ the counterfeiting of euros
+ people smuggling

But new dangers were also growing, such as online radicalisation and trafficking in human beings. The networks behind the crimes in each of these areas are quick to seize new opportunities, and they are resilient in the face of traditional law enforcement measures.

On 1 May 2017, Europol’s new Regulation entered into force and took effect in all EU Member States. With the new regulation Europol was established as the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation with a view to supporting cooperation among law enforcement authorities in the Union.