Strategic Cooperation Forum confirms EUROMED Police’s role as platform of cooperation between EU and its Southern Partners

Closer neighbours, partnership and increased security for the citizens; these were the key messages of the 3rd Strategic Cooperation Forum as representatives of law enforcement agencies from the EU’s Southern Partner Countries, EU Member States, and EU agencies all convened in The Hague, from 17 to 18 November, to participate in this EUROMED Police flagship event. The aim? To consolidate the networks between the Middle East and North Africa and the EU in the fight against serious and organised crime.

The third edition of the forum focused on criminal threats ranging from cyberattacks and financial crimes to migrant smuggling, trafficking in human beings and drugs. The spotlight was on the cooperation instruments available to step-up the capacity to fight these types of crimes and increase safety on both sides of the Mediterranean.

Sabine Zwaenepoel from the Directorate-General for European Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, when addressing the audience, perfectly depicted the spirit of the conference:

Criminal threats are globalised. Your security is our security and EUROMED Police is a platform for cooperation to pursue common objectives.

In this context, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) plays a crucial role in the identification of common threats to fight organised criminal. During the conference, EMPACT drivers and co-drivers sat together with the delegates of law enforcement services from Egypt, Israel, Libya, Jordan, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and AFRIPOL, exchanging insights on the latest criminal trends affecting both the MENA region and the European Union.

As Europol’s Deputy Director, Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, remarked:

If there was ever a time to respond to common challenges, it is now. By acting together, and in a spirit of partnership, we will turn common challenges into opportunities, in our mutual interest.

These words were echoed by CEPOL’s Deputy Director, Mailis Pukonen:

 Strategic partnerships can be an effective way to fight against common threats. These partnerships between the European Union and neighbouring countries promote effective cooperation in the field of justice and law enforcement.

All the participants agreed on the importance of networking, specialised training and the role they will play in the future EUROMED Police Strategy. Law enforcement agencies across the Mediterranean need to be one step ahead of criminal groups and increase security through knowledge and innovative methods. The EUROMED Police platform is the venue for this cooperation.

About EUROMED Police

The EUROMED Police project strives to increase the law enforcement capacity to fight serious and organised crime in the partner countries through specialised training and the strengthening of the already existing networks between the EU and the Middle East and North Africa region. Find out more about the project here.