DOCSLIB.ORG

Strengthening Europol's Mandate a Legal Assessment of The

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Strengthening Europol's Mandate a Legal Assessment of The STUDY Requested by the LIBE committee Strengthening Europol’s mandate A legal assessment of the Commission’s proposal to amend the Europol Regulation Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs Directorate-General for Internal Policies PE 694.200 - May 2021 EN Strengthening Europol’s mandate A legal assessment of the Commission’s proposal to amend the Europol Regulation Abstract This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, aims to provide background information on the current legal framework of Europol and a legal assessment of the European Commission’s proposal of 9 December 2020 to strengthen Europol’s mandate, divided in thematic blocks. The legal assessment is accompanied by policy recommendations. This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. AUTHORS Dr Niovi VAVOULA, Lecturer in Migration and Security, Queen Mary University of London Prof. Valsamis MITSILEGAS, Professor of European Criminal Law and Global Security, Queen Mary University of London ADMINISTRATOR RESPONSIBLE Alessandro DAVOLI EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Christina KATSARA LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN ABOUT THE EDITOR Policy departments provide in-house and external expertise to support EP committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny over EU internal policies. To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe for updates, please write to: Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs European Parliament B-1047 Brussels Email: [email protected] Manuscript completed in May 2021 © European Union, 2021 This document is available on the internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/supporting-analyses DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the European Parliament is given prior notice and sent a copy. Strengthening Europol’s mandate CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8 1. INTRODUCTION 12 1.1. Background information 12 1.2. Objective of the study 14 1.3. Methodology 14 1.4. Structure 14 2. THE EUROPOL LEGAL FRAMEWORK 15 2.1. Organisation and structure 15 2.2. Objectives and mandate 16 2.3. Tasks 17 2.3.1. Information-related tasks: Producing criminal intelligence 17 2.3.2. Operational tasks 19 2.3.3. Training, knowledge and expertise 20 2.4. Processing of personal data and data protection 20 2.5. Exchanges of personal data with partners 22 2.6. Judicial control 24 2.7. Democratic accountability and parliamentary scrutiny 24 2.8. Europol’s effectiveness 25 3. THE REFORM OF THE EUROPOL REGULATION 26 3.1. Widespread reforms without prior evaluation 26 3.2. Enhancing cooperation with third parties 26 3.2.1. Existing cooperation between Europol and third parties 27 3.2.2. Exchanges of personal data with private parties under scrutiny 27 3.2.3. Direct exchanges of personal data with private parties and exchanges of personal data in crisis situations 28 3.2.4. A paradigm shift with significant fundamental rights implications and insufficient safeguards 30 3.3. Addressing the ‘big data challenge’ 34 3.3.1. Europol’s ‘big data challenge’ and the admonishment by the EDPS 34 3.3.2. Enabling Europol to process large and complex datasets 35 3.3.3. Ensuring that an exception does not become the rule 36 3.4. Strengthening Europol’s role on fostering research and innovation 39 3.4.1. Calls for an increased role of Europol in research and innovation 39 PE 694.200 3 IPOL | Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs 3.4.2. Expansion of Europol’s tasks on research and innovation 39 3.4.3. Lack of clarity and insufficient data protection safeguards 41 3.5. Enabling Europol to register alerts into SIS 44 3.5.1. The relationship between SIS and Europol 44 3.5.2. Limits in information exchanges via SIS 45 3.5.3. Entry of SIS alerts by Europol 46 3.5.4. Significant fundamental rights and operational challenges 48 3.5.5. Alternative options 51 3.5.6. The compromise solution: Europol alerts related to counter-terrorism from ‘trusted’ countries 53 3.6. Enhancing cooperation with third countries 54 3.6.1. Exchange of personal data between Europol and third countries 54 3.6.2. ‘Transfers or categories of transfers of personal data’ 55 3.6.3. A small change with far reaching consequences? 55 3.6.4. Further amendments by the Council: Undoing data protection standards 56 3.7. Strengthening cooperation with the EPPO 58 3.7.1. Background information 58 3.7.2. Regulating Europol-EPPO cooperation 58 3.7.3. Alignment with the EPPO Regulation 59 3.8. Enhancing capacity to request the initiation of criminal investigations 59 3.8.1. Requesting the initiation of an investigation of cross-border crimes 59 3.8.2. Requesting the initiation of an investigation of a crime affecting a common interest covered by an EU policy 60 3.8.3. Necessity of the reform not demonstrated 60 3.9. Enhancing the data protection framework 61 3.9.1. Europol’s sui generis data protection framework 61 3.9.2. Progressive alignment with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 61 3.9.3. Need for further alignment: Enhancing the role of the EDPS and clarifying the scope of the right to restriction 62 3.10. Other proposed reforms 63 3.11. Enhancing political accountability, parliamentary scrutiny and judicial control 64 4. POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 70 REFERENCES 76 4 PE 694.200 Strengthening Europol’s mandate LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ACER European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators AFSJ Area of Freedom, Security and Justice AI Artificial Intelligence AWF Analysis Work File CEPOL European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training CJEU Court of Justice of the European Union COSI Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security DPA Data Protection Authority DPO Data Protection Officer EBCGA/FRONTEX European Border and Coast Guard Agency EC3 European Cybercrime Centre ECHR European Convention on Human Rights EDPS European Data Protection Supervisor EFECC European Financial and Economic Crime Centre EIS European Information System EMPACT European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats EMSC European Migrant Smuggling Centre ENISA European Union Agency for Cybersecurity ENLETS European Network of Law Enforcement Technology Services ENU Europol National Unit EPPO European Public Prosecutor’s Office EUIPO European Union Intellectual Property Office PE 694.200 5 IPOL | Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs Eu-LISA European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems Eurojust European Union Agency for the Criminal Justice Cooperation Europol European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation EU European Union FIU Financial Information Unit FRA European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights IOCTA Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment IRU Internet Referral Unit JHA Justice and Home Affairs JIT Joint Investigation Team JPSG Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group LIBE Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs MASP Multi-Annual Strategic Plans NGO Non-Governmental Organisation OAPs Operational Action Plans OLAF European Anti-Fraud Office OSP Online Service Provider PNR Passenger Name Record QUEST Querying Europol’s systems SIENA Secure Information Exchange Network Application SIRENE Supplementary Information Request at the National Entries SIS Schengen Information System SOCTA Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 6 PE 694.200 Strengthening Europol’s mandate TEU Treaty on the European Union TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime US United States PE 694.200 7 IPOL | Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background In the field of police cooperation, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), the legal basis of which is Regulation (EU) 2016/794 (Europol Regulation), has a key role in supporting cooperation among the EU Member States in the area of cross-border law enforcement. On 9 December 2020, the Commission presented a proposal for a Regulation amending the Europol Regulation, aiming at enhancing Europol’s mandate. The proposal encompasses a wide-ranging revision of Europol’s tasks, which can be divided in nine themes as follows: (1) Enabling Europol to cooperate effectively with private parties; (2) Enabling Europol to process large and complex datasets; (3) Strengthening Europol’s role on research and innovation; (4) Enabling Europol to enter data into the Schengen Information System (SIS); (5) Strengthening Europol’s cooperation with third countries; (6) Strengthening Europol’s cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO); (7) Enabling Europol to request the initiation of an investigation of a crime affecting a common interest covered by an EU policy; (8) Strengthening the data protection framework applicable to Europol; and (9) Other provisions, including enhancing political accountability and parliamentary scrutiny. Aim This study aims to provide the European Parliament with background information on Europol’s legal framework, a legal analysis of the proposal to revise the Europol Regulation and policy recommendations
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Implementing the Protocol 36 Opt
    September 2012 Opting out of EU Criminal law: What is actually involved? Alicia Hinarejos, J.R. Spencer and Steve Peers CELS Working Paper, New Series, No.1 http://www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk http://www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/publications/working_papers.php Centre for European Legal Studies • 10 West Road • Cambridge CB3 9DZ Telephone: 01223 330093 • Fax: 01223 330055 • http://www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Protocol 36 to the Lisbon Treaty gives the UK the right to opt out en bloc of all the police and criminal justice measures adopted under the Treaty of Maastricht ahead of the date when the Court of Justice of the EU at Luxembourg will acquire jurisdiction in relation to them. The government is under pressure to use this opt-out in order to “repatriate criminal justice”. It is rumoured that this opt-out might be offered as a less troublesome alternative to those are calling for a referendum on “pulling out of Europe”. Those who advocate the Protocol 36 opt-out appear to assume that it would completely remove the UK from the sphere of EU influence in matters of criminal justice and that the opt-out could be exercised cost-free. In this Report, both of these assumptions are challenged. It concludes that if the opt-out were exercised the UK would still be bound by a range of new police and criminal justice measures which the UK has opted into after Lisbon. And it also concludes that the measures opted out of would include some – notably the European Arrest Warrant – the loss of which could pose a risk to law and order.
    [Show full text]
  • Brexit, the “Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice” and Migration
    EU Integration and Differentiation for Effectiveness and Accountability Policy Briefs No. 3 December 2020 Brexit, the “Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice” and Migration Emmanuel Comte This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 822622 Brexit, the “Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice” and Migration Emmanuel Comte Abstract This policy brief focuses on EU–UK negotiations on the movements of third-country nationals. It presents the formation of preferences of both sides and creates a map of existing external differentiation in this area, which supplies models for the future EU–UK relationship. Current nego- tiating positions show the continuation of previous trends and the po- tential for close cooperation. This policy brief details two scenarios of cooperation. Close cooperation would continue the current willingness to cooperate and minimise policy changes after the transition period. Loose cooperation could stem from the collapse of trade talks, breaking confidence between the two sides and resulting in a suboptimal scena- rio for each of them. No scenario, however, is likely to result in signifi- cantly lower effectiveness or cohesion in the EU. The UK will always be worse off in comparison to EU membership – particularly under loose cooperation. Emmanuel Comte is Senior Research Fellow at the Barcelona Centre for Internatio- nal Affairs (CIDOB). 2 | Brexit, the “Area of Freedom, Security, and Justice” and Migration Executive summary The UK has wanted for 30 years to cooperate with other EU countries and EU institutions to keep third-country immigration under control. Brexit has not changed this preference.
    [Show full text]
  • Enterprising Criminals Europe’S Fight Against the Global Networks of Financial and Economic Crime 2 03 04 Foreword Key Findings 05 07
    EFECC European Financial and Economic Crime Centre Enterprising criminals Europe’s fight against the global networks of financial and economic crime 2 03 04 Foreword Key findings 05 07 Setting the (crime) scene What is happening today that may impact the economic and financial crimes of tomorrow? › Technology drives change in behaviours › Economic downturns create opportunities for crime › Corruption 09 11 Intellectual property Fraud crime: counterfeit and › Tax Fraud substandard goods 16 19 Money laundering A European response - › Money laundering techniques The European Financial and Economic Crime Centre at Europol 3 Foreword CATHERINE DE BOLLE Executive Director, Europol The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened our economy and created new vulnerabilities from which crime can emerge. Economic and financial crime, such as various types of fraud, money laundering, intellectual property crime, and currency counterfeiting, is particularly threatening during times of economic crisis. Unfortunately, this is also when they become most prevalent. The European Economic and Financial Crime Centre (EFECC) at Europol will strengthen Europol’s ability to support Member States’ and partner countries’ law enforcement authorities in fighting the criminals seeking to profit from economic hardship. EFECC will serve as a platform and toolbox for financial investigators across Europe. We look forward to making lasting partnerships with them and fighting economic and financial crime together. 4 COMPANY Key findings A 1 2 » Money laundering and criminal finances are the engines of organised crime. ithout them criminals would not be able to make use of the illicit profits from their various serious and organised crime activities in the EU.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Public Euroscepticism
    Firenze University Press www.fupress.com/qoe Understanding public Euroscepticism Citation: Simona Guerra (2020) Under- standing public Euroscepticism. Quad- Simona Guerra erni dell’Osservatorio elettorale – Ital- ian Journal of Electoral Studies 83(2): University of Surrey, United Kingdom, 0000-0003-3911-258X 45-56. doi: 10.36253/qoe-9672 E-mail: [email protected] Received: September 4, 2020 Abstract. Euroscepticism has become more and more embedded both at the EU and Accepted: December 17, 2020 national levels (Usherwood et al. 2013) and persistent across domestic debates (Ush- erwood and Startin 2013). This study presents an in-depth analysis of contemporary Published: December 23, 2020 narratives of Euroscepticism. It first introduces its question related to understanding Copyright: © 2020 Simona Guerra. This public Euroscepticism, following the British EU referendum campaign and outcome, to is an open access, peer-reviewed then present the established literature, and the analysis of the British case study. A sur- article published by Firenze Univer- vey run in Britain in May 2019 shows that, as already noted by Oliver Daddow (2006, sity Press (http://www.fupress.com/qoe) 2011), Euroscepticism is very much identifiable in the traditional narratives of Europe and distributed under the terms of the as the Other. Context accountability (Daddow 2006) is still cause for concern in Britain Creative Commons Attribution License, and by assuming a more positive view of a European Britain (Daddow 2006) does not which permits unrestricted use, distri- make the debate more informed. Images, narratives and specific issues to reform the bution, and reproduction in any medi- um, provided the original author and Eurosceptic toolbox into a more neutral, but informative, instrument could be applied source are credited.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Is the New Normal!
    DIGITAL IS THE NEW NORMAL! Acting together to better handle cross-border electronic evidence VIRTUAL SIDE EVENT organized at the margins of the 30th United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) click or scan code to 17 MAY 2021 14:10 (CET) access the event In collaboration with: OBJECTIVE This side event will provide a forum to share results on the impact of the UNODC-CTED-EUROPOL-EUROJUST-EJN Partnership in advancing international law enforcement and judicial cooperation through the development of tools such as the second version of the Practical Guide for Requesting Electronic Evidence Across Borders, and the model request forms on Preservation, Emer- gency and Voluntary Disclosure. The side event will also present the mapping information of communication service providers and will be the occasion to present the SHERLOC Electronic Evidence Hub. TARGET AUDIENCE The event will target practitioners across the criminal justice systems, specifically those involved in handling electronic evidence in the context of criminal proceedings involving multiple jurisdictions. DIGITAL IS THE NEW NORMAL! 17 MAY 2021 Acting together to better handle 14:10 (CET) cross-border electronic evidence AGENDA Moderator: Ms. Arianna Lepore Coordinator, UNODC Global Initiative on Handling Electronic Evidence Across Borders 14:10 to 14:30 High Level Segment 14:30 to 15:00 Technical Segment Opening remarks by: PRESENTATION OF THE PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR REQUESTING Ms. Ghada Waly ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE ACROSS BORDERS UNODC Executive Director Mr. Daniel Suter UNODC Consultant, Terrorism Prevention Branch Ms. Michèle Coninsx United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director PRESENTATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS AND THE NEW MODEL FORMS of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Anniversary Publication
    Ten Years of Europol 1999-2009 TEN YEARS OF EUROPOL, 1999-2009 Europol Corporate Communications P.O. Box 90850 2509 LW The Hague The Netherlands www.europol.europa.eu © European Police OfÞ ce, 2009 All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form or by any means is allowed only with the prior permission of Europol Editor: Agnieszka Biegaj Text: Andy Brown Photographs: Europol (Zoran Lesic, Bo Pallavicini, Max Schmits, Marcin Skowronek, Europol archives); EU Member States’ Law Enforcement Authorities; European Commission; European Council; Participants of the Europol Photo Competition 2009: Kristian Berlin, Devid Camerlynck, Janusz Gajdas, Jean-François Guiot, Lasse Iversen, Robert Kralj, Tomasz Kurczynski, Antte Lauhamaa, Florin Lazau, Andrzej Mitura, Peter Pobeska, Pawel Ostaszewski, Jorgen Steen, Georges Vandezande Special thanks to all the photographers, EU Member States’ Law Enforcement Authorities and Europol Liaison Bureaux for their contributions 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 7 I. Birth of an Idea, 1991-1998 11 1. Ideas behind Europol: Tackling International Crime 11 2. Maastricht Treaty: the ‘Founding Article’ 12 3. First Step: the Europol Drugs Unit 12 4. The Hague: a Fitting Location 13 5. Formal Status: the Europol Convention 14 6. European Union: New Members and a New Treaty 15 II. The First Years, 1999-2004 21 1. Facing the Challenges: Stabilisation and Consolidation 21 2. Changing Priorities, Flexible Organisation 24 3. Information Exchange and Intelligence Analysis: Core Business 27 4. The Hague Programme: Positioning Europol at the Centre of EU Law Enforcement Cooperation 34 5. Casting the Net Wider: Cooperation Agreements with Third States and Organisations 36 6. Europol’s Most Important Asset: the Staff and the ELO Network 37 III.
    [Show full text]
  • Eurojust Report on Trafficking in Human Beings Best Practice and Issues in Judicial Cooperation
    Eurojust Report on Trafficking in Human Beings Best practice and issues in judicial cooperation February 2021 Criminal justice across borders Eurojust Report Trafficking in Human Beings Executive summary Cross-border cases of trafficking in human beings (THB) are complex and difficult to investigate and prosecute. They reveal the prominent role of organised criminal groups. When gaps in judicial cooperation appear it is the victims of THB who suffer. In October 2020, the European Commission noted in its progress report on THB that judicial authorities in the Member States had raised serious concerns about difficulties in judicial cooperation. This report was prepared by the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), with the aim of responding to these concerns. It presents solutions used by the agency when assisting in complex THB cases requiring judicial coordination. The report also aims to inform the forthcoming EU strategy against THB. It expresses Eurojust’s readiness to play a central role in the future strategy, by bringing substantial added value to the operational dimension of combating THB. The final aim of the report is to assist in successfully bringing human traffickers to justice, while protecting the victims. The report is divided into two main parts. The first part relates to the coordination of investigations and the second to victims’ rights. The report draws on the practical experience gained from Eurojust’s support of human trafficking investigations between 2017 and 2020. In total, 91 cases of THB were selected for analysis by Eurojust’s anti-trafficking team, of which 31 are illustrated in this report.
    [Show full text]
  • Evaluation of the Implementation of the Europol Council Decision and of Europol’S Activities
    CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and EDUCATION AND THE ARTS decisionmaking through research and analysis. ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE This electronic document was made available from www.rand.org as a public INFRASTRUCTURE AND service of the RAND Corporation. TRANSPORTATION INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS NATIONAL SECURITY Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Support RAND TERRORISM AND Browse Reports & Bookstore HOMELAND SECURITY Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore RAND Europe View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This product is part of the RAND Corporation technical report series. Reports may include research findings on a specific topic that is limited in scope; present discussions of the methodology employed in research; provide literature reviews, survey instru- ments, modeling exercises, guidelines for practitioners and research professionals, and supporting documentation; or deliver preliminary findings. All RAND reports un- dergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity.
    [Show full text]
  • (EDPS) Decision on 'Europol's
    Europol Unclassified – Basic Protection Level The Hague, 17 November 2020 EDOC# 1131384 v 14A Europol Action Plan addressing the risks raised in the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Decision on ‘Europol’s Big Data challenge’ Contents 1. Background ....................................................................................................................... 1 2. Europol’s Action Plan ........................................................................................................... 2 2.1. Context .......................................................................................................................... 2 2.2. Europol’s current data landscape ....................................................................................... 3 2.3. Enhanced data review ...................................................................................................... 3 2.3.1. Five actions to further enhance compliance and data review.............................................. 4 2.3.2. Design of the New Forensic Environment (NFE) ............................................................... 7 3. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 7 1. Background The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Decision1 on Europol’s processing of large da- tasets (referred to as ‘Europol’s Big Data Challenge’) was received on 18 September 2020. The EDPS concludes that the current practice of processing large datasets, for Europol
    [Show full text]
  • European Commission High Representative of The
    HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNION FOR EUROPEAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND COMMISSION SECURITY POLICY Brussels, 13.6.2018 JOIN(2018) 16 final JOINT COMMUNICATION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL Increasing resilience and bolstering capabilities to address hybrid threats EN EN 1. INTRODUCTION Hybrid activities by State and non-state actors continue to pose a serious and acute threat to the EU and its Member States. Efforts to destabilise countries by undermining public trust in government institutions and by challenging the core values of societies have become more common. Our societies face a serious challenge from those who seek to damage the EU and its Member States, from cyber-attacks disrupting the economy and public services, through targeted disinformation campaigns to hostile military actions. Hybrid campaigns are multidimensional, combining coercive and subversive measures, using both conventional and unconventional tools and tactics (diplomatic, military, economic, and technological) to destabilise the adversary. They are designed to be difficult to detect or attribute, and can be used by both state and non-state actors. The nerve agent attack in Salisbury last March1 further underlined the versatility of hybrid threats and the multitude of tactics now available. In response, the European Council2 highlighted the need to step up the capacity of the EU and its Member States to detect, prevent and respond to hybrid threats in areas such as cyber, strategic communication and counter-intelligence. It also drew particular attention to the need for resilience in the face of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear-related threats. The threats posed by non-conventional weapons fall in a category of their own because of the potential scale of the damage they can cause.
    [Show full text]
  • Revision of the Europol Regulation
    BRIEFING Implementation Appraisal Revision of the Europol Regulation This briefing is one in a series of 'implementation appraisals', produced by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), on the operation of existing EU legislation in practice. Each briefing focuses on a specific EU law that is to be amended or reviewed, as envisaged in the European Commission's annual work programme. 'Implementation appraisals' aim to provide a succinct overview of publicly available material on the implementation, application and effectiveness to date of an EU law, drawing on input from EU institutions and bodies, as well as external organisations. They are provided by the EPRS Ex-Post Evaluation Unit, to assist parliamentary committees in their consideration of new European Commission proposals, once tabled. SUMMARY Serious and organised crime is an increasingly dynamic and complex phenomenon, with new criminal markets emerging under the influence of globalisation and digitalisation. It very often goes hand in hand with corruption. As time passes, cybercrime infiltrates nearly every area of criminal activity. Moreover, terrorism continues to constitute a major threat to security in EU Member States. The EU supports operational law enforcement cooperation aimed at tackling serious crimes in line with its aim to establish an area of freedom, security and justice. Based on Article 88 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and Regulation 2016/794, Europol plays a key role in the coordination, organisation and in implementation of investigative and operative action carried out jointly with the Member States, and the collection, processing, analysis and exchange of information. Following a 2019 request by the Council of the EU, the European Commission scheduled its proposal to review the Europol Regulation for December 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Eu Myths and Success Stories
    www.mega.bupnet.eu EU MYTHS AND SUCCESS STORIES The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. www.mega.bupnet.eu INTRODUCTION What is an EU myth? EU myth or euromyth usually refers to invented stories or distorted facts about the European Union (EU) and the activities of its institutions. The EU is accused of nonsensical EU legislation, bureaucracy and all difficulties and challenges arising from global trends. Why should we talk about EU myths and check the real facts? As European Union constantly faces different manifestations of Europhobia, unmasking EU myths becomes more and more important to keep the EU united. Web-based communication and social media take a significant part in today’s Eurosceptic mobilization. Facts checking help not only to unmask the EU myths but as well to better understand the EU processes. What is MEGA project? MEGA project stands for Make Europe Great Again and is a two-year project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme (project number 2019-3-DE04-KA205- 018681) that aims at enhancing critical thinking and media literacy of young people by analysing and unmasking Europhobic myths. The project partnership is coordinated by the German Adult Education provider BUPNET GmbH based in Göttingen and consists of partners from Austria, Cyprus, France, Italy and Lithuania. Compilation of the EU myths (fake news) and success stories consists of 145 of the most common EU myths along with the explanations with facts and useful links where correct information can be found and 60 success stories along with shortcomings of the EU.
    [Show full text]