On 28 June 2022, key amendments to the Europol Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/794) entered into force.
The amendments to the Europol Regulation introduced, in particular, changes in the following areas:
Cooperation with private parties: Under the amended legal framework, Europol is able to receive data directly from private parties.
The Amending Regulation also introduced tailored rules regulating cooperation with private parties in the context of online crisis situations.
This Regulation and new Europol’s Strategy pave the way for new opportunities for public diplomats. According to the new objective, partnerships in a broader sense will be a priority on Europol’s agenda. Private parties, including academia, NGOs, and research institutes, will be key collaborators too.
According to new Europol Strategy "DELIVERING SECURITY IN PARTNERSHIP" (2023) Europol’s strategic priorities are to:
(Strategic priority 4) Bring the relevant partners together for cross-border cooperation and joint action;
Developing a dedicated strategy for cooperation with private parties, including NGOs and academia, to optimise their engagement, both for operational interests and to nurture potential innovation.
(Strategic priority 5) Be at the forefront of law enforcement innovation and research.
Engaging proactively with private sector, academia and research institutes, including through Industry & Research Days.
For example, money laundering is a major global concern.
Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency and Eurojust, the EU's Judicial Cooperation Unit, estimate the minimum costs of fighting organised crime at EU level amount to €210 million a year. To efficiently tackle ML the EU has stepped up cooperation with civil society, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
NGOs are engaged as collectors of relevant information on illicit activities, and in developing standards and implementing anti-ML rules.