Europol's new mandate under scrutiny: MEPs conclude mission to The Hague

Civil Liberties MEPs visited Europol HQ to assess how the agency is adapting to new challenges and an expanded mandate, with legislative work on a new Regulation underway.

On 1 October, three MEPs of Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee visited the headquarters of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) in The Hague.

The head of the delegation Chair of the Civil Liberties Committee, Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, ES), stated: “Our visit comes at a decisive moment for Europol. The agency is going through a leadership transition, and the Commission has tabled an ambitious proposal to transform its mandate. Today we saw how Europol supports national police forces every day, from the 24/7 Operational Centre to its work against migrant smuggling networks, financial crime and cybercrime. As criminal networks grow more digital, more financially agile and more violent, the EU needs an agency that can keep up with them.

Parliament's position on the new Regulation will be guided by a clear principle: a stronger Europol must go hand in hand with adequate resources, a clear legal framework, robust safeguards for fundamental rights and data protection, and effective democratic oversight. What we learnt today will directly inform our work on this priority file in the coming months.”

Mission summary

The mission assessed how Europol is implementing the 2025 amendments to its mandate on migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings and gathered operational input for Parliament's work on the Commission proposal for a new Europol Regulation, presented in June 2026. MEPs were welcomed by Europol leadership and held discussions covering the full breadth of the agency’s work: the 24/7 Operational and Analysis Centre; the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS), established in March 2026; trends in financial crime, money laundering and crypto-assets at the European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC); cybercrime and the criminal use of artificial intelligence at the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3); the development of new technologies at the Europol Innovation Lab; and data protection safeguards and third-country cooperation with Europol's Data Protection Officer.