Europol at the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague

Europol congratulates the Dutch authorities on the excellent organisation of the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) held in The Hague on 24 & 25 March 2014.  With its headquarters located in the immediate proximity of the conference venue, Europol has been involved in months of planning with the conference organisers and security team. 

In the margins of the conference, Europol’s Director Rob Wainwright spoke at an international press briefing, hosted by Jozias van Aartsen, Mayor of The Hague, alongside the heads of the OPCW, Eurojust, ICC and ICJ.  Mr Wainwright introduced the work of Europol and commented on the challenges faced by the global police community in keeping pace with significant new criminal phenomena emerging online.  Whilst advocating for police bodies to operate to the highest standards of public accountability and data privacy he drew attention to the need for them to be given adequate powers to identify criminal activities and suspects in a rapidly transforming cyber environment. 

This was also the theme of discussion between Mr Wainwright and Julia Pierson, the Director of the US Secret Service (USSS), when the latter visited Europol’s headquarters on the second day of the Summit.  Europol enjoys excellent cooperation with the USSS, resulting in several successful joint operations in recent years.  Last week the USSS and Europol, along with Colombian and Spanish authorities, dismantled an illegal counterfeit currency digital print shop in Bogota.  Directors Pierson and Wainwright discussed options for boosting cooperation between the two agencies, especially in the field of cybercrime.  Mr Wainwright held a similar discussion with Mr Ronald Noble, the Secretary General of INTERPOL, at a bilateral dinner on 25 March.

Finally, Mr Wainwright had the honour to meet President Obama briefly at the start of the second day of the Summit.  The President expressed his thanks to Europol for its cooperation with US agencies in combating international organised crime and terrorism. 

Speaking after the close of the conference Rob Wainwright said “Europol is proud of its place amongst the family of international organisations located in The Hague. I am pleased that the excellent work of our dedicated officials in combating international crime and terrorism was recognised by delegates attending the Nuclear Security Summit.”