Summary of main findings

The 2026–2029 EU-STNA reconfirms a stable set of horizontal capability gaps that cut across all thematic areas and therefore anchor EU-level training priorities for the coming cycle. In essence, they span cooperation and interoperable information exchange, end-to-end financial investigation focused on tracing, restraining and recovering criminal proceeds, digital competence including the operational use of AI and emerging technologies, forensic readiness, rights-based practice, prevention and administrative approaches, integrity safeguards and protection against infiltration and corruption, document security, and the disruption of the most threatening criminal networks and individuals.

On the thematic side, demand concentrates around large-scale drug trafficking, cyber-attacks and cyber-enabled criminality (including online fraud and online child sexual exploitation), counterterrorism, migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, economic and customs fraud, border management and maritime security, environmental crime, firearms and explosives, hybrid threats, intellectual property crime and counterfeiting, and the external dimension of internal security. Compared with 2022–2025, the new cycle shows continuity with a sharper focus on AI within digital skills, a more end-to-end approach to asset recovery, a stronger emphasis on prevention, integrity, and anti-corruption, and heightened attention to resilience against infiltration into the legal and public sectors. The process also, for the first time, reflected the direct involvement of customs authorities, expanding the range of perspectives and leading to stronger attention to excise and MTIC-related training needs.

The consolidated lists and order of priorities are presented in the Executive Summary and detailed in the thematic chapters.