The European police authority Europol is to be given more powers and resources in order to become significantly more effective. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Magnus Brunner announced on Tuesday in Strasbourg that Europol is to be transformed into an operational law enforcement agency. The Commission intends to present a concrete proposal for a new mandate next year.
The announcement is part of the communication on a new EU strategy on internal security, which was adopted by the Commission on Tuesday. According to the communication, the background to this is new threats and the geopolitical situation. A joint response from the member states is needed in order to guarantee the security of citizens against this backdrop. Insufficient resources are currently preventing Europol from providing even better support for investigations and operations against cross-border crime. Furthermore, the current mandate does not cover new security threats such as sabotage, hybrid threats or disinformation. The threat posed by disinformation campaigns and cyber attacks is increasing. State attacks on critical infrastructures represent an increasing danger.
The transition between hybrid and classic warfare is fluid, according to the communication on the new internal security strategy. Hostile states and organized crime actors infiltrate critical infrastructures and supply chains in order to sabotage them or steal sensitive data. The EU must better anticipate and respond to security risks. National security authorities must adapt their cooperation and exchange of information to the threat situation. The Commission also wants to present legislative proposals to strengthen Frontex and Eurojust. The European border agency is to be expanded from the currently planned 10,000 to 30,000 employees.
The security authorities in Europe must be able to work with state-of-the-art technology and cooperate effectively across borders, writes Lena Düpont, home affairs spokesperson for the EPP Group in the EU Parliament. This also includes strengthening the mandates of Europol, Eurojust and Frontex. Stephan Israel
