College Read-Out — Wednesday, 24 June 2026

Key Points

• The EU adopted proposals to strengthen Europol and Eurojust for enhanced cross-border crime and terrorism response.
• New regulations will improve information exchange and operational support for member states through Europol's enhanced mandate.
• Europol will establish cloud infrastructure for real-time data processing and collaboration among law enforcement agencies.
• Eurojust's mandate will expand to address emerging crimes, including cybercrime and gender-based violence, improving judicial cooperation.
• The Commission's 2026 governance report assesses non-Euro area member states' progress towards adopting the Euro.
• Trust among national and European authorities is essential for effective solutions to security challenges in the EU.

Full Transcript

Transcribed automatically from EbS (Europe by Satellite) · English audio track · AI-generated · May contain errors · Verify before quoting

Opening Statement

Good morning and welcome to the readout of our morning's college and the press conference on law enforcement and criminal justice package with Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Hena Virkunen, Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, and Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath. EVP, the floor is yours.

Thank you for being here. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the readout of our college meeting.

Henna Virkkunen: Today, we adopted two proposals for regulations strengthening Europol and Eurojust to step up the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism. Commissioners Brunner, McGrath, and I will present the package to you in a minute. We also adopted two omnibus proposals, simplifying existing rules on taxation and on energy product legislation. Commissioners Dombrovskis and Högsträ will present these proposals as soon as our press conference is over. And finally, we also adopted the 2026 governance report, providing the Commission's assessment of the progress that the non-Euro area member states have made towards adopting the Euro. There are no press events planned in relation to the report, but we will publish a press release and also questions and answers document on it very shortly. Now, let's return to the topic of this press conference, strengthening Europol and Eurojust to step up the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism. The European security environment is becoming more complex and criminal activities more sophisticated, more cross-border, and increasingly more digital. A year ago, when the European internal security strategy, Protect EU, was adopted, we committed to address these challenges. Today's geopolitical landscape is changing rapidly. We face escalating hybrid threats, expanding organized crime, and growing digital dangers from criminals and terrorists. To guarantee our internal security, we must build stronger European capabilities. We are strengthening Europol and Eurojust so that they can offer our member states the support they need, from prevention to prosecution. And here is how we are delivering on that promise. For Europol, we are proposing to strengthen Europol's mandate by enhancing information exchange. We are embedding cutting-edge technology at the heart of its operations, and we are deepening support to member states and reinforcing cooperation with EU agencies and international partners. For years, criminals have been benefiting from ad hoc structures we have and fragmented information sharing by national authorities. So stronger operational support and Europol support offices in member states will change this picture. We will also take full use of data and technological possibilities and establish Europol cloud infrastructure, which will secure access to data processing capabilities, as well as other IT tools, allowing police to work in real time on the same case remotely. We are also taking to the next level the synergies between all our justice and home affairs agencies. We are also stepping up coordination and complementarity amongst Europol and Eurojust, but also with the European Public Prosecutor, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority, and the recently established Customs Authority. And this will guarantee seamless cooperation to our national authorities in the fight against cross-border crime. To give you an example of the scale, cybercrime costs our economy trillions of euros every year. In fact, if cybercrime were a country, it would have the third largest economy in the world according to recent studies. To fight this, our police and cybersecurity teams must work together perfectly. And that is why I am very pleased that Europol's new mandate also strengthens its partnership with ENISA, the EU's cybersecurity agency. And for Eurojust, we will make judicial cooperation faster, more operational, and more effective, helping competent authorities of member states investigate and also prosecute complex cross-border cases. Eurojust will be able to act on its own initiative to identify links between cases, anticipate further, and decide on the need for coordination. Eurojust's mandate will also be expanded to strengthen its involvement in emerging areas of crime, such as cybercrime, the violations of EU restrictive measures, or gender-based violence. And this will enable Eurojust to better support national authorities in complex cross-border cases. My good colleagues Magnus and Michael will soon share more details on these two proposals. But these proposals, they really acknowledge that while competencies remain national, solutions can only be European, built on trust among all players, both national and European. So trust is key, and these proposals will foster it. Thank you, and now I will pass the floor to Magnus first. Thank you very much.

Magnus Brunner: Good morning to everyone. We present today one of the, I would say, biggest parts of the internal security strategy. actually the most comprehensive update in Europol's history, in Europol's 25 years history. It's something where we, with the new mandate, we make the real difference actually. We make the real difference on the ground to support the member states. With this new mandate we really support the member states, making the work easier also for our policemen, for the member states altogether. So that is what it is about. Europol is very much at the heart of the vision of our internal security strategy. We put forward our vision actually to preserve the right to feel safe and we are here in Europe in the safest region in the world, I would say, which is good news. If we look at Europol and the figures and the numbers there, Europol was very successful in supporting the member states. Europol supported more than 20,000 operations, carried out almost 32,000 arrests and seized almost 9 billion euros in assets. So we see already that Europol is doing a great job of Eurojust, of course, as well. Michael will talk about Eurojust later, I'm sure, about that. So what do we change? What are the changes in this new mandate? First of all, we are making Europol a truly operational hub for information exchange. That is the first one. Right now Europol does not automatically receive the information that member states should actually share and even where the data is shared, it is based on bilateral messaging and ad hoc requests. So, for example, a burglary gang might hit houses all across Europe without law enforcement in different member states connecting these cases. So this is something where we have to close the gap and with the new rules we will automate the uploading of data to Europol and we will enable also real-time collaboration on a shared data space so investigators can actually use the information to work together. The second very important point is Europol's work is actually only as strong as the support it brings to the member states, because Europol is here, of course, as I said, to support the member states and this is why we are putting Europol expertise directly into national investigations. So Europol support offices in member states will help member states' police forces to make better use of Europol's tools and also the services. So this is also a very important point, as I said, to support the member states there. The third part is Europol as an innovator. Criminal networks, as you said, Hanna, criminal networks adopt new technology quite fast, I would say, sometimes much faster than the police, and that is why we propose to make Europol a technology and innovation hub, providing an EU-wide picture of the needs of law enforcement to support joint research, to support development, especially in areas like decryption, like AI. Also we have a great pilot project actually going on where we see and where this platform actually in this pilot project has a chance to decrypt information for encrypted devices seized from criminals. So this is a concrete example and a concrete pilot project and member states, I think, are very enthusiastic about this. The fourth point is we are strengthening Europol's cooperation with other EU agencies and bodies, and thank you very much, Michael, for this very good cooperation we had in preparing those two new mandates. The aim is actually to tackle financial crime against the EU budget, VAT fraud, misuse of EU funds, because this is exactly the kind of crime that actually exploits the gaps also between the agencies we might have had in the past, and with the new mandates for Europol and Eurojust, we are closing these gaps. We are strengthening the cooperation with the new EU agencies like EMLA, like the EU Customs Authority, and other home affairs agencies, because when two EU bodies are chasing the same money or pursuing the same leads also, the only winner is the time actually it buys the criminals, and we need to connect the dots there. And the fifth and the last point I want to raise, which is also important in this new mandate, Europol must be able to work more closely with partners also outside the European Union and access information across borders, because as you said, Hanna, it's more international, it's more cross-border, of course. Criminals work more across the borders. And in the last two years, the European Union has concluded 46 agreements, most recently one with Brazil and one with Peru, and these agreements are already actually delivering results. For example, in Colombia in 2025, with Europol's support, a large cocaine trafficking network was dismantled, and this led to 22 arrests, one tonne of cocaine seized, and 53 bank accounts frozen before the drugs actually could enter the European Union. So today, the European law enforcement community is stepping into the future, I would say, as a team, as a Team Europe approach, with Europol as its cooperation platform, and as I said in the beginning, I think this new mandate makes a real difference on the ground. It supports the member states and the police officers to do their job in an even better way in the future. Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner McRae.

Michael McGrath: Thank you, Paula. Good morning, everyone. I'm delighted to be here with my colleagues, with Commissioner Brunner, and thank you, Magnus, for the excellent cooperation between our respective teams, and thank you to EVP Verkunnen for the support and the leadership that we received in the preparation of this package over recent months. And it is a comprehensive criminal justice package. For my part, I've brought forward three targeted measures so that investigations are more connected and coherent, and that justice is delivered faster and smarter. We will strengthen Eurojust's mandate, we will upgrade the European Investigation Order, and we will modernize the EUDPR, that's the Data Protection Regulation for Union Institutions and Bodies. As you know, Eurojust acts as the EU's agency for judicial cooperation in criminal matters. It coordinates the investigations of national authorities into serious cross-border crime. And organized crime today cuts through our continent, knowing no borders and threatening our union's internal security. But Eurojust is and can react. For example, if there is an organized crime group smuggling drugs across member states, Eurojust can coordinate the investigations of the authorities in member states, supporting Europol and the European Public Prosecutor's Office when needed. And Eurojust not only tackles organized crime, but also international crimes, ensuring that criminals can't hide behind national borders. This puts the agency at the center of accountability efforts following Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. And I think it's fair to say that Eurojust's impact is already clear, but is growing all the time. For example, since 2020, the agency's caseload has risen by more than 60%. It has investigated six times as many suspects, with 10 times more drugs seized in 2025 compared to 2020, and more than twice as many suspects arrested. Indeed, in 2025, it supported 14,000 criminal investigations, facilitated over 400 joint investigation teams, and contributed to the arrest or surrender of 4,400 suspects. But with success, as we know, come new challenges. So what today's proposals mean in practice? Internally, we will modernize how the agency is run by creating a new management board dedicated to running the agency and providing the overall strategic leadership that the agency requires. This will free up the national members to focus entirely on investigating cross-border crime, their core function. And by requiring those national members to be prosecutors or judges, they will have the to open investigations, making the pursuit of justice faster and smarter. We also propose that Eurojust not only reacts to Member States' investigations, but can also be proactive in opening its own investigations. The revision also ensures that Eurojust can detect links between criminal cases much earlier by using an automated system that compares information held by different EU agencies. The system can then flag connections between ongoing proceedings, helping authorities coordinate investigations more effectively. The agency will also better support Member States to tackle new offences, so this is an important development. These include gender-based violence and cyber crimes, which thrive online and increasingly span multiple jurisdictions. Eurojust can also support judicial coordination in sanctions cases, helping authorities untangle complex cross-border financial flows and trace hidden assets. On the external side, we have proposed ways to streamline information exchange and cooperation with both Europol on law enforcement and with the EPO on crimes against the EU budget. And we have proposed ways for Eurojust to cooperate more closely with non-EU countries, which is essential. We need more cross-border investigations into global crime networks. And today, Eurojust operates with 15 international cooperation agreements. We hope to announce further agreements shortly and also to receive a mandate, hopefully in the near future, to extend the network of negotiations that we can enter into with third countries. To close gaps by allowing national authorities to obtain evidence in cross-border criminal investigations, we also propose to update the European Investigation Order. To make proceedings more efficient, the new European Remote Partnership Order will enable a suspect, accused person or victim to participate remotely in criminal court hearings, which will ultimately add speed to this process in the criminal justice chain. And to simplify and harmonise how operational personal data is processed by the EU's justice and home affairs agencies and bodies, we will modernise the data protection regulation for union institutions and bodies with some targeted amendments. Our proposal today is about supporting Europol to fight impunity and Eurojust to deliver justice. From intelligence gathering to courtroom outcomes, Eurojust and Europol provide a seamless response to cross-border crimes. Investigations will become more connected and justice will be delivered in a faster and smarter way. Thank you. Thank you very much. And before giving you the floor, let me invite you to seize the opportunity of the presence of the team of our excellent interpreters, which allows you to ask your questions in any of the EU official languages. Who would like to break the ice? Remo.

Europol cooperation and reforms

Q (CH Media): Thank you. Remo Hess for Swiss newspaper group CH Media. I will seize the opportunity and ask my question in German, if I may. I have a question for Commissioner Brinders. The Europol proposal provides that a new framework is to be created to expand cooperation with partner countries such as Switzerland. As you know, there is an ongoing updating process for the bilateral agreements with Switzerland. I wonder to what extent such enhancement of cooperation is important and by when it can be achieved.

Spokesperson: Swiss German isn't an official language, but I'll try and answer in standard German instead. Cooperation with partner countries and Schengen countries is extremely important. In recent years, we've seen that our cooperation with Switzerland has become ever better. This new Europol mandate will enable us to intensify our contacts and our cooperation with Switzerland and with the other partner countries, of course. This is a decisive component of the new mandate that we are proposing. We want to be able to cooperate better with third countries and, first and foremost, with European countries that are not yet part of the EU or not part of the EU at all, but are in the Schengen area. I am very optimistic that our cooperation with Switzerland can become even deeper, even more interwoven. That's necessary as well. Recently, we had the signing of an agreement where we agreed to the exchange of passenger data, for example, so as to work better together on security. I am certain that our cooperation with Switzerland will go up a level and be even better in the future than it is now.

Q (Politico): Hi. Ellen O'Regan from Politico. Thank you for the press conference. I had a question about expanding Europol's mandate into areas like cybercrime. I was wondering if you could give a little bit more detail about that. Does it include things like hybrid threats or state actors from outside the EU? And maybe could you give an example of something that Europol can't do now in this field that it will be able to do under the new reforms? Thank you. If you'd like to start.

Spokesperson: Yes, thank you very much. Like we were underlining, the main reasons why we have to really update now the mandates of these agencies, it's about the very international picture we have now when it comes to different criminal activities. So criminal activities, they are really using the opportunity to operate in our single market. But too often, we are too fragmented. So often, because the investigation is very national, we are not able to share all the information so fast as we should. And that's why we want to now establish new tools to be able really to work together in real time. So of course, security is responsibility of our member states, but we are able to support much better from the Europol side and from Eurojust side also our member states when needed. And especially, I see that the most important tools now will be our police shared data space, that our police, they can really work in real time together. And also, we are establishing this new cloud infrastructure to also share the information and giving really to secure access to Europol's IT tools and collaboration and data processing capabilities. And of course, always, if there is that kind of actions where support from Europol is needed, Europol is ready to support our member states. And we see that many of these activities are now having also this digital dimension. Thank you. Yes, Commissioner.

Spokesperson: Maybe just one word on the hybrid threat, because you were mentioning that hybrid threats are fully covered also here, not as a new crime, but as a way of committing crimes. So this is fully covered. And Europol will also here be able to support the member states also with new technologies that are needed. And that's why this innovation hub, which will be created is so important. Also here to support the member states with new technologies. Thank you. Yes, Susanne.

Q: It's not directly related to this package. Am I still okay to go ahead?

Spokesperson: Let me see if there are questions on the package first, and then I'll get back to you for possible off-the-topic questions. I see Gabriele Rosana online.

Migration and irregular migration

Q: Thank you, Gabriele Rosana. Commissioner Brunner, you are also Commissioner for Migration. Can you hear me? We can. Okay, great. You're also Commissioner for Migration. And my question is, today's proposal on Europol, what does it change when it comes to tackling irregular migration, which is something that has been very much championed by this commission? And while I have you here on the migration profiles, if I can ask you also our reaction on the proposal by 19 governments to put forward MFF funds to fund return hubs, extra-year return hubs. Thank you. So the second is an off-the-topic question. So, Commissioner, feel free to see if you want to address it already now or not. I'll leave it in your hands.

Magnus Brunner: Yeah, so there is a link, yes, from this new Europol mandate to migration, to fighting illegal migration. We already actually updated Europol's mandate on migrant smuggling earlier in this mandate, so we did that already. So the link is of course always there because it's also a security issue. So, yes, this is covered. The second part was on funding of return. aware of that, but it's too early now, because now member states are looking into the possibility of return hubs. We created with our return regulation the basis, the legal basis for doing that, and as I know so far, I think five member states are looking into the possibility, so we wait and see what the outcome is. Thank you. Other questions on the topic of the conference?

Q: Sorry, thanks for taking a second question. It's about the police data sharing space. I'm wondering if there are any particular privacy or data protection safeguards that are part of the new proposal specifically relating to that, and maybe if you can give more details about the changes to the EU data protection regulation as well. Commissioner McGrath?

Michael McGrath: Yes, sure. In relation to the EU data protection proposals that we are bringing forward, essentially it streamlines three main aspects. It extends the regime on operational personal data to all EU justice and home affairs agencies and bodies, including the European Public Prosecutor's Office, which currently operates under a separate data protection regime. It also standardises the EDPS powers for all EU justice and home affairs agencies, offices and bodies in line with the 2022 Europol model, and it also streamlines and standardises the provisions on international transfers by aligning them with the law enforcement directive. In essence, it is standardising the approach to data protection across the agencies that are operating in the justice and home affairs area. Thank you. I will go back online. Rikke Albrechtsen?

Q (Danish media Elsignal): Hello, Rikke Albrechtsen from Danish media Elsignal. I was just going to ask about Europol and Eurojust service status for Denmark. What does this change for Denmark and how do you see Denmark participating in these different pieces of legislation? Is there any specific angle?

Spokesperson: There's an angle for all member states, of course, and we will see this is a proposal for a new mandate, both on Eurojust and Europol. And now, of course, the talks, I mean, we had, of course, some talks, and I think Denmark's agreement, of course, remains in place. And, of course, Denmark will also benefit from reinforcements within this new mandate. So I think the positive outcome and the positive impact is there for all member states, also for Denmark, of course. Any other questions in the room? Yes, please.

Taliban delegation and migration

Q (Deutsche Welle, Germany): Ahmad Hakimi from DW, Deutsche Welle, Germany. We know that yesterday Brussels was host to a Taliban delegation, and its focus was mainly on migration and returning Afghan, rejected Afghan asylum seekers or those who have committed crime from European Union. The question is, since Europe is also discussing cross-border terrorism and crimes-related topic, would we see another delegation of the Taliban de facto government in Brussels or in any other country talking mainly about terrorism and security-related threats in connection with Afghanistan?

Spokesperson: Indirectly linked with the topic of the conference, let me just make sure that there are no further questions directly on the topic. No? Okay. So, go, Commissioner. Yes, and then we open.

Magnus Brunner: First of all, just two sentences on yesterday. Yes, 20 member states actually asked us in a letter to coordinate the member states there, because as a European Union, you are, of course, stronger as an individual member state, and it was about – it's actually about a security issue, and that's why this second meeting actually took place. The first one was in January in Kabul on the technical level, and the second one was yesterday, where it's about the operational way to send criminals, criminal offenders, serious offenders back to Afghanistan. That was it, and that was what the member states asked us to do, to coordinate there, and that's what we did yesterday. Thank you. Vincenzo Genovese. Online.

Q: Good morning. Can you hear me? Yes, Vincenzo. Great. Thank you very much. It's on the same topic. I would like to ask you, too, Commissioner Brunner, I know this was a technical meeting, but what do you expect as a request from the Taliban government to cooperate with the European Union? Because this meeting, as you said, was to create connection and to cooperate with the government to return Afghan irregular migrants, a specific category of Afghan irregular migrants. If the Taliban government has not accepted them so far, this means that probably there is not such a willing to accept them. So, what do you expect the EU – what do you expect they will ask, and what do you expect the EU or the EU countries can concede? Thank you very much.

Spokesperson: It's not about concessions, no concessions whatsoever. It's just about operational talks, how we can send criminals back. That's what the whole talks are about. That's a normal procedure, I would say. And as I said, in January was the first meeting in Kabul, and this was the second one because the member states, 20 member states asked us. By the way, 15 member states were present yesterday there as well. It's an operational question how it can work on the ground to send criminals back who have no right to stay in the European Union. Thank you. As we do not have more questions on the topic of the conference, no? But then let me go to Suzanne, as I had already promised earlier.

Irish presidency security concerns

Q (Irish Independent): Hi, sorry. Sarah Collins from the Irish Independent. A question to all three commissioners on security related issue. It's one week until the start of the Irish presidency, and I wonder, do you have any concerns about the Irish government's ability to protect and secure itself, especially when the college meets in Mr. McGrath's home city of Cork next week? And second to Commissioner McGrath specifically, several government ministers have complained to an Irish Sunday newspaper that the EU is going too slow on its competitiveness agenda, saying the EU's gotten too comfortable. Are those comments helpful, do you think, a week before the presidency starts, and what's your take on those complaints? Thank you. VP, who would like to start, and then Commissioner McGrath. Yes, thank you very much. So we are, of course, very much looking forward to Irish presidency and we are thanking also Cyprus presidency for their very effective half a year, which is coming to the end now next week. And as we know for this mandate, the commission's main priorities, they have been competitiveness and security, and we continue to work on these topics. When it comes to competitiveness, of course, we have very clear roadmap, our competitiveness compass. We have made a lot of initiatives, and of course we are now supporting Council and European Parliament also adopt these new initiatives we have made on competitiveness. And also on security part, I see that we have already achieved a lot, especially when it comes to defence spending in our member states. We have been building up our own capacities in defence, and also in internal security we are also delivering, like today's package also shows. And in the same time we see also that we are facing also many different kind of hybrid threats, like sabotage against our critical infrastructure or drones overflying around our critical infrastructure and critical entities. So we are facing many new kind of security challenges, but in the same time we are very committed, of course, to boost our competitiveness, our security, and we saw also that the leaders very recently, they also committed to this one Europe, one market roadmap, and I see that everybody is very ambitious. We are committed to make Europe faster, simpler, easier for the businesses. Thank you. Commissioner McRae.

Michael McGrath: Yes, thank you, Sarah. If I may, Paula, just add one quick remark to an earlier question in the context of Denmark and Eurojust, and to confirm that there is a cooperation agreement in place. Of course, the opt-out remains, but in practical terms the day-to-day cooperation is excellent. For example, the agreement provides that Denmark can participate fully in the operational meetings of Eurojust, but cannot participate in the agency's management. So the cooperation agreement will continue unhindered by the proposed changes. and looking forward to visiting Ireland with my colleagues next week. I have full confidence in the capabilities of the Irish authorities to provide the necessary security and support to make sure that the event next week, and indeed all of the important meetings and high-level events that will take place over the next six months, will go smoothly. There is always a risk, and there will always be significant threat assessment work done. And of course, Ireland will be working in close cooperation with all of the other member states and with the EU bodies and agencies to respond to any threats that are identified in the assessment. In relation to the competitiveness issues and the drive to simplification, the truth is that it is a partnership between the Commission, the member states and the members of the European Parliament. We have proposed many omnibus simplification packages at this point. A small number have been fully agreed, so there remains more work to do, and we support the co-legislators in their work and in their efforts to reach agreement. I have important files that I've brought forward myself, including EU Inc., and I had the pleasure to meet with Enrico Letta on Monday, and we discussed the importance of this file in the context of the overall competitiveness drive of the European Union. And as you know, we published that proposal back in March, following Commission adoption, and in line with the aspiration and the call by the European Council, and indeed One Market, One Europe roadmap, we are working towards agreement, political agreement by the end of this year, which will be challenging and ambitious, but is absolutely doable if we are serious about really shifting the dial on the competitiveness agenda for the European Union. Thank you for this short glimpse into the upcoming Irish presidency, and we take one final question. Yes, please.

Q (Spanish News Agency): Yes, Miguel Salvatierra for Spanish News Agency. It's a quick follow-up on the Taliban meeting. I would like to know if yesterday was also discussed the resuming of the consular services in the EU, because the spokesperson of the Taliban just said that. Thank you.

Spokesperson: I don't know, because I wasn't there. And that's a member state's competence, so you should ask the member states who were there yesterday. I think that's the best way to go forward. By the way, it is an international obligation for the Taliban to – or for Afghanistan to take their people back. This is important to point to. There is an obligation to take back their own nationals. So this is what we told the Taliban on this technical level yesterday. Good. And this brings us to an end of this press conference. Thank you very much for your participation, commissioners and EVP. Don't go far. We will resume shortly in a couple of minutes, as announced earlier on by EVP Vivkunen. We will continue with commissioners Dombrovsky and Hoekstra on the simplification proposals on energy labeling and taxation adopted also this morning. Thank you all and see you again very briefly.

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