Europol and the United Arab Emirates join forces in fighting cross-border crime

The United Arab Emirates’ Minister of Interior, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed al Nahyan, and Europol’s Director, Rob Wainwright, signed today in Abu Dhabi an agreement to enhance international cooperation in the fight against organised crime by exchanging non-personal strategic information.
 
The signing of the Agreement on Cooperation between Europol and the United Arab Emirates concludes the successful negotiations between the two parties on how to effectively join forces in fighting crime. The text of the cooperation agreement was approved by the Council of the European Union earlier this year.

This new level of cooperation, after entry into force of the agreement, will be important for tackling priority crime areas affecting both the European Union and the United Arab Emirates, such as financial crime, money laundering and counterfeiting.

Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol, said: “This agreement represents a significant step forward in our cooperation. The United Arab Emirates is the first state in the region to have such an agreement with Europol, confirming the importance of the partnership and our joint commitment in fighting serious organised crime affecting the safety and security of the European Union”.

Strategic agreements make it possible for the two involved parties to exchange strategic and technical information and provide training. They do not allow for the exchange of personal data.