As the EU’s law enforcement agency, Europol has a mission to support its Member States in preventing and combatting all forms of serious international organised crime and terrorism.
Europol’s vision is to contribute to a safer Europe by providing a unique and evolving set of operational products and services to support law-enforcement authorities in all Member States.
Europol's Strategy for 2016 to 2020 is the frame of reference for its daily operations and for supporting EU law enforcement cooperation.
In pursuit of this ambitious strategy, Europol is addressing the most important challenges facing it, and is exploiting all opportunities to make further progress and deliver tangible benefits.
Europol is democratically managed on the basis of a system of controls, checks and supervision of governance.
EU justice and interior ministers, MEPs, other EU bodies, a management board drawn from all EU Member States, and its directorate all play important roles in managing Europol and ensuring that it is accountable.
Europol has been an EU agency since 2010. It is ultimately accountable to the Council of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs, which comprises the relevant ministers from all EU Member States. The Council is responsible for the main control and guidance of Europol, and appoints the agency’s Director and Deputy Directors.
Together with the European Parliament (EP), the Council approves Europol’s budget (which is part of the EU’s general budget) as well as adopts regulations related to Europol’s work.
The EP plays an important role in overseeing Europol. In addition to adopting the agency’s annual budget, the EP issues the discharge — the decision by which it releases the European Commission (EC) from its responsibility for managing a given budget, by indicating the end of the period in which that budget has been executed. The discharge is granted by Parliament on a recommendation from the Council. The EP is also consulted in the adoption of new Council regulations concerning Europol.
In the area of law enforcement, the highest standards of data protection and security are of the utmost importance.
It was clear from the moment Europol was founded that a set of tailored rules would have to be created to take into account both the operational needs of Europol and the individual’s right to effective data protection.
The collection and processing of data are at the heart of Europol’s work, and it stores large amounts of personal data. Various Europol units, EU Member States and even third parties pass it to one another for analysis. To some, this image might give cause for concern.
The unprecedented ways in which Europol and other organisation can collect and analyse data these days bring with them an obligation to respect each individual’s right to have their personal data duly protected. To live up to this obligation, Europol must minimise the danger of abuse and the risk of data leaks, whether intentional or unwitting.
Europol is proud to have one of the most robust data protection frameworks in the world of law enforcement. This is an asset, even as it also imposes significant responsibilities, including the duty to see to it that the framework is implemented in day-to-day operations.
