Strategic considerations for EU-level training

Building on these conclusions, the EU-STNA 2026–2029 points to several directions for the further development of EU-level law enforcement training. 

The analysis confirms that demand for training significantly exceeds current EU-level provision. Although the training needs identified in the EU-STNA are addressed by existing EU training providers, the overall volume of available training remains considerably lower than required. There is particular demand for awareness-raising on key capability gaps and across several crime areas. This highlights the necessity of investing in online training activities and platforms – such as CEPOL’s LEEd – which are critical to extending outreach and accessibility.

Effective coordination of EU-level training provision is essential, not only to optimise resources but also to equip law enforcement with the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary to operate in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving environment. Establishing a central hub for EU-level training, supported by the development of a Sectoral Qualifications Framework for policing and a robust quality assurance framework for EU law enforcement training, would substantially enhance coherence, standardisation, and impact. 

Training provision should continue its evolution towards joint, multidisciplinary, and practice-oriented formats that mirror the operational realities of cross-border cooperation. Training design and delivery should systematically incorporate advanced technologies, data-driven approaches, and simulation-based learning to ensure both relevance and adaptability. Given the volume and breadth of training needs identified by the EU-STNA 2026-2029, it is essential to promote consistent, large-scale training delivery across Member States to ensure comparable competencies and operational coherence within the EU law enforcement community. This also calls for the gradual strengthening of common quality standards, accreditation mechanisms and mutual recognition of training outcomes to ensure coherence and trust across the EU training landscape.

The findings underline that EU-level training must address both the horizontal competencies and the thematic operational areas where Member States report the most acute capability gaps. In practice, this means strengthening training in intelligence-led and interoperable information exchange, end-to-end financial investigation and asset recovery, the operational use of digital tools, AI, and forensic technologies, rights-based and preventive policing approaches, and resilience against corruption, infiltration, and hybrid threats. Digital and AI competencies should be treated as foundational enablers across all thematic areas, rather than specialised domains. The integration of forensic, preventive, and rights-based dimensions into mainstream training could help ensure a balanced and professional approach to security operations.

In addition, several expert discussions highlighted recurring needs for EU-level guidance and standardisation to support more coherent implementation of EU legislation and policies. Targeted EU workshops or guidance documents could help Member States align their interpretation and operational application of new directives and frameworks. Such efforts should be seen within a broader, career-long learning perspective, where EU-level guidance and training opportunities continuously reinforce professional competence and alignment throughout the different stages of law enforcement careers.

Thematic areas such as large-scale drug trafficking, cyber-enabled crime (including online fraud and child sexual exploitation), counterterrorism, trafficking in human beings, and environmental and financial crime remain the principal operational domains where EU-level training should be concentrated. These priorities collectively reflect where EU-level coordination and specialised expertise add most value to Member States’ national training systems. Thematic priorities remain closely aligned with the main EMPACT crime areas, encompassing high-risk criminal networks, financial investigations, cyber-enabled crime, trafficking-related offences, terrorism, and environmental threats. These are complemented by emerging domains such as hybrid and technology-driven threats, as well as the cross-cutting need to reinforce institutional integrity and public trust in law enforcement. Alongside the clear thematic clusters of training priorities, several training needs, such as leadership, crisis management, and public order, labelled as "other", remain relevant to maintaining operational readiness and crisis response capacities. While not among the highest-ranked thematic priorities, they continue to underpin the overall resilience and professionalism of the European law enforcement community.

Furthermore, some training needs are also subject to regional variations, especially within thematic clusters related to the EU’s external borders, such as border management and maritime security, hybrid threats, the external dimension of internal security, and migrant smuggling. Geographically, countries along the Eastern external borders are particularly affected by external threat to internal security. Subsequently, training needs related to crimes with a stronger cross-border dimension, such as drug trafficking, counterfeiting of goods, excise fraud, or firearms trafficking, also tend to reflect more regional specificities.

To translate these findings into practical directions for future planning, the following considerations are proposed for EU-level policy makers, training providers, and partners:

• Further strengthen coordination and complementarity among EU-level training providers to maximise synergies, promote coherence, and avoid unnecessary overlaps.
• Use the EU-STNA as a shared strategic reference point for training planning at EU and national levels, embedding its findings in agency work programmes and funding frameworks.
• Scale up and further harmonise EU-level training provision to meet the growing demand for cross-border and specialised learning opportunities, ensuring the EU-STNA remains a regular, transparent, and evidence-based mechanism for aligning training provision with operational needs and for promoting the development of common curricula and standards. 
• Integrate digital and AI competence development as a horizontal objective across all EU-level training initiatives.
• Promote joint and multidisciplinary training formats that involve the full justice chain, encompassing law enforcement, judicial, customs, financial, and border authorities, to enhance cooperation and mutual understanding.
• Deepen cooperation with research, academia, and the private sector, particularly in technology-driven domains, to foster innovation and evidence-based practice.
• Enhance cooperation with non-EU partners in areas of shared concern, reflecting the growing external dimension of EU internal security.
• Encourage the development of common standards and qualifications frameworks to ensure consistency of competence development and facilitate mobility and mutual recognition of training outcomes across Member States.