TOPCOP workshop updates trafficking training materials in line with EMPACT priorities

Experts from the Eastern Partnership region gathered at CEPOL Headquarters in Budapest on 23 and 24 October 2025 for an EMPACT Support Network (ESN) workshop organised under the Training and Operational Partnership against Organised Crime (TOPCOP) project. The event focused on reviewing and updating training materials on trafficking in human beings (THB) and firearms trafficking, ensuring they reflect current operational realities and stay aligned with the EU’s crime-fighting priorities.

Developed during the first phase of TOPCOP, these two handbooks provide law enforcement trainers with structured guidance and teaching materials for designing and delivering training in these crime areas. As criminal activities evolve and increasingly move into the online sphere, training materials require regular updates to remain relevant to today’s fast-moving landscape.

“The workshop offered an ideal framework to update the handbooks in line with recent crime dynamics and good practices at the European level. The results will help strengthen institutional capacities and improve national responses to trafficking in human beings and firearms trafficking,” said Vitalie Ionascu, PhD in Law, Associate Professor and Chief Commissioner, Dean of the “Ștefan cel Mare” Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova.

Building on this need, the workshop brought together subject matter experts and curriculum developers from the Eastern Partnership region alongside representatives from Europol, Frontex, EU Member States, and EMPACT. Participants worked collaboratively to identify outdated content, enrich the material, and propose concrete improvements to both operational guidance and pedagogical approaches.

The updated handbooks will provide law enforcement practitioners with enhanced, practical tools for training delivery, while also strengthening the alignment of partner countries with the EMPACT framework.

“The activity helped expand the external dimension of EMPACT by promoting a shared law enforcement culture and closer cooperation with partner countries. It also deepened understanding of local criminal markets and threats across the Eastern Partnership region,” said Thomas Basioukas, Specialist in the EMPACT Support Team at Europol.

The workshop marked an important step in the continued development of the EMPACT Support Network, a joint platform implemented through CEPOL’s capacity-building projects (TOPCOP, WB PaCT, and EUROMED Police) to enhance cooperation and knowledge sharing in the fight against serious and organised crime.