Within the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union
, the 16th CEPOL Management Board (MB) meeting took place this week in Ayia Napa, Cyprus (21-22 May 2026), chaired by Ms. Irmina GOŁĘBIEWSKA, col. PhD, Deputy Director of the Bureau of International Police Cooperation, Polish National Police Headquarters.
During the meeting, participants were briefed on the latest developments at CEPOL, including the Agency’s AI Strategy, the Consolidated Annual Activity Report (CAAR) 2025 and CEPOL’s international cooperation projects. Furthermore, the MB members were informed about the priorities of the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Several Management Board decisions were also adopted. Among others, the MB approved the list of Granted CEPOL Activities 2027, the CAAR 2025, the procedure for development and approval of capacity building projects, and the common curriculum on cross-border operational law enforcement cooperation, guided by the Council Recommendation (EU) 2022/915 of 9 June 2022 on operational law enforcement cooperation (CROLEC). The latest MB decisions will be available soon on the CEPOL website here.
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Another important highlight of the meeting was the election of the new Chair and Deputy Chair of the CEPOL Management Board, who will assume their responsibilities on the 1st of July 2026. Ms. Maria Areti KYRITSI, Police Major, Hellenic Police Academy and Voting member of the CEPOL MB, will be the new Chair.
Mr. Brian SUGRUE, Chief Superintendent, Director of Training & Professional Development with An Garda Síochána and Voting member of the CEPOL MB will be the new Deputy Chair.
The next CEPOL Management Board meeting is planned to be held on 17-18 November in Dublin, Ireland.
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On 20 May, ahead of the Management Board meeting, CEPOL’s Executive Director, Mr. Jan Pecháček, met with the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Mr. Costas Fytiris. Topics of common interest were explored, including the importance of continuous training, strengthening the exchange of knowledge and expertise, and enhancing cooperation in the field of law enforcement training.
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On the same day, Mr. Jan Pecháček held a bilateral meeting with the Chief of the Cyprus Police, Mr. Themistos Arnaoutis to exchange views on how to further strengthen cooperation, with a focus on training strategies, leadership training and the development of specialised educational programmes covering counter-terrorism, combatting child exploitation, and artificial intelligence.
He also had fruitful discussions with other high-level law enforcement officials, including the Deputy Director of the Cyprus Police Academy and former MB voting member for Cyprus, Mr. Costas Veis, and the current voting member for Cyprus and Head of the International Cooperation Office of the Cyprus Police Academy, Mr. Floris Nikandrou.
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About CEPOL Management Board
The CEPOL Management Board is made up of representatives from EU Member States and the EU Commission. The Chair of the Management Board is a representative of one of the three Member States that have jointly prepared the Council of the European Union’s 18-month programme. The Management Board meets at least twice per year, in order to discuss current and future developments and assess the overall performance of the Agency. The Management Board meeting is an official event of the rotating EU Presidency.
