CEPOL delivers course on Schengen Evaluation

Twenty-nine leading law enforcement experts from seventeen countries participated in the training on Schengen’s evaluation in Slovenia. CEPOL course 52/2024/ONS on Schengen Evaluation – Internal security: Police Cooperation and Large-Scale IT systems was implemented in close cooperation between CEPOL, the European Commission, and the Slovenian Police from 30 September to 4 October.

Two groups of experts from 17 Member States and Associated Countries worked intensively throughout the course to consolidate and strengthen their knowledge of the legal, procedural, operational, and technical aspects of the area of ​​law enforcement cooperation and large-scale IT systems (SIS/SIRENE) as well as EU regulations and methodologies of the evaluation in the field of the Schengen acquis in order to become future evaluators certified by the European Commission.

This unique and important activity, deriving from the portfolio of the CEPOL Knowledge Centre on Law Enforcement Cooperation, Information Exchange, and Interoperability (CKC INT), aims to support the implementation of the Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism (SEMM) established by Council Regulation (EU) 2022/922. It also promotes the conduct of objective and comprehensive evaluation visits and provides experts with a sound knowledge of evaluation principles, procedures, and techniques for Schengen evaluation visits in the fields of law enforcement cooperation and large-scale IT systems (SIS).

The experts participating in the training in Slovenia had not only adequate experience and knowledge from the field, but also the willingness and potential to engage in future evaluation visits. After successfully completing their final exam, they will be certified and appointed to the pool of experts for the year following the training and will receive the Schengen Evaluator’s Certificate from the European Commission.