European Police Office (Europol): Past, Present & Future
pages 209 - 228
ABSTRACT:

The European Police Office (Europol) is the primary European entity that handles police co-operation at the European level. Europol’s official mission is ‘to support and strengthen action by the European Union Member States’ police authorities and other law enforcement services and their mutual co-operation in preventing and combating crime affecting two or more Member States of the European Union’. This paper deals with Europol and is divided into seven sections. The first two sections deal with the establishment and legal basis of Europol and analyse its objectives, competence and tasks. Additional sections are focused on special issues; the third section assesses the relationship of Europol with Member States of the European Union, namely national units and liaison officers. The fourth section deals with the Europol Information System and analysis work files and the fifth section is focused on co-operation with other European Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, as well as co-operation with non-EU Member States. The sixth section presents some examples of successful Europol operations. Finally, the seventh section indicates possible legal development of Europol.

keywords
Establishment
Legal Basis of Europol
Europol Objectives
Europol Competence
Europol Tasks
Europol National Units
Liaison Officers
Europol Information System
Analysis Work Files
Possible Legal Development of Europol
about the authors

JUDr. Libor Klimek graduated from the Faculty of Law, Bratislava College of Law in 2010. He then became a PhD studen at the Faculty of Law, Pan European University, Bratislava (formerly known as Bratislava College of Law). He is the author of several publications, domestic as well as foreign. All his research work, papers and publications are focused solely on the international and European aspects of Criminal Law.

e-mail: libor.klimek@yahoo.com