Headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, Europol’s mission is to support its Member States in preventing and combating all forms of serious international and organised crime, cybercrime and terrorism. Europol also works with many non-EU partner states and international organisations.
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;
- international drug trafficking and money laundering;
- organised fraud;
- the counterfeiting of euros;
- trafficking in human beings.
Mandate
Europol listens to what EU Member States need and analyses crime trends in the EU. The Agency supports investigations initiated by Member States, though Europol officers never arrest citizens or instigate investigations. Europol’s work usually consists of dealing with crimes that require an international approach and cooperation between several countries, inside and outside the EU. The decision on which crimes to prioritise is shaped by EMPACT.
Facts and figures on Europol
- More than 1400 staff
- 264 Europol Liaison Officers
- Thousands of international investigations supported each year
- Became an official EU agency on 1 January 2010
EMPACT is a structured multidisciplinary cooperation to fight organised and serious international crime. It is driven by the Member States and supported by EU institutions, bodies and agencies in line with their respective mandates.
Over the years Europol has built up substantial experience in fighting drug trafficking, illicit immigration networks and trafficking in human beings, illicit vehicle trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering and currency forgery. Europol is also the central European office for combatting euro counterfeiting.
Europol 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
- trafficking in human beings
- facilitated illegal immigration
- cybercrime
- euro counterfeiting
- VAT fraud
- money laundering and asset tracing
- mobile organised-crime groups
- intellectual property crime
- cigarette smuggling
- outlawing motorcycle gangs
- terrorism
Unique services
Our position at the heart of the European security architecture allows us to offer a unique range of services. Europol is a high-security operational centre that operates non-stop: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Analysis is at the core of our activities. Our criminal analysts are among the best trained in Europe. They use state-of-the-art tools to support investigations by law enforcement in Member States on a daily basis.
To give our partners deeper insights into the crimes they are tackling, we produce regular assessments that offer comprehensive, forward-looking analyses of crime and terrorism in the EU.
Europol also utilises specialised systems, which offer fast and secure capabilities for storing, searching, visualising and linking information, thus comprise a sophisticated crime-fighting toolbox.
Management and control
Europol is accountable at the EU level to the Council of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs.
The Council is responsible for the main control and guidance of Europol. It appoints the Executive Director and the Deputy Directors, and approves Europol’s budget (which is part of the general budget of the EU), together with the European Parliament. It can also adopt, along with the European Parliament, regulations related to Europol’s work. Each year, the Council forwards a special report to the European Parliament on the work of Europol.
Europol currently operates under the Europol Regulation. This regulation was adopted on 11 May 2016, when the European Parliament voted on updated powers to enable Europol to step up efforts to fight terrorism, cybercrime and other serious and organised forms of crime. The regulation strengthens Europol’s role in supporting cooperation among law enforcement authorities in the EU.
Organisational structure
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:
- Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Operations Directorate
- Jürgen Ebner, Governance Directorate
- Andrei Linta, Capabilities Directorate
Tags
- Law Enforcement
- Legal Regulation
- Legislation
- Management & Control
