New agreement aims to strengthen the exchange of information and operational cooperation at the EU’s external borders

The European Union is further expanding cooperation between its security agencies. Europol and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) have signed a new working arrangement on the sidelines of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council in Dublin. It replaces the previous agreement from 2015 and takes account of the expanded legal powers of both agencies.

The aim of the new agreement is to intensify the exchange of information and to further expand operational cooperation in the fight against cross-border crime. This is intended to provide Member States with even more targeted support in the future in detecting, preventing and prosecuting organised crime and terrorist threats.

The security situation has changed fundamentally

Since the first agreement was concluded in 2015, both the security environment and the remit of European security agencies have changed significantly. Organised crime is increasingly operating on an international scale, utilising digital communication channels and operating through complex migration, financial and logistics networks. At the same time, the EU’s external borders are at the centre of numerous security-related developments – ranging from irregular migration to cross-border organised crime.

The 2019 Regulation on the European Border and Coast Guard, together with the reform of Europol’s mandate, has considerably expanded the scope of action for both agencies. The new working arrangement now establishes the organisational framework to integrate these expanded powers more closely in practice.

Information gathered at the border as a starting point for investigations

A key objective of the agreement is to ensure that intelligence gathered at the EU’s external borders is incorporated more swiftly into criminal investigations. Information on suspicious travel patterns, people-smuggling activities or forged documents can provide early indications of organised criminal networks or terrorist activities.

“Criminal networks do not distinguish between border security and law enforcement – they exploit every vulnerability they can find,” explains Jürgen Ebner, acting Executive Director of Europol. Information gathered at the external borders could often provide the first indications of criminal or terrorist activities. Closer cooperation with Frontex would enable Europol to support Member States more effectively in detecting, investigating and dismantling these networks.

A shared perspective on cross-border threats

Frontex, too, regards the new agreement as an important step for the European security architecture. Whilst Frontex operates directly at the external borders, Europol analyses the criminal structures and networks behind them.

“Frontex sees the border. Europol sees the criminal networks behind it,” emphasises Hans Leijtens, Executive Director of Frontex. Both agencies have different parts of the same operational picture. Thanks to the new agreement, this information can be collated more quickly in future and put to operational use.

Operational staff and analysts from both agencies are already working closely together in joint operations and in the analysis of cross-border crime. The updated agreement is intended to further deepen and accelerate this cooperation.

Focus on people-smuggling and human trafficking

The enhanced cooperation focuses in particular on areas of crime that require close integration of border management and law enforcement. These include, above all, the fight against people smuggling, human trafficking and other forms of serious and organised crime.

In future, the authorities aim to exchange information more quickly and to integrate their respective analytical and investigative capabilities more closely. This should enable criminal networks not only to be detected at the borders, but also their organisational structures and funding channels to be better identified.

Expanded exchange of information within a clear legal framework

A key component of the new agreement is the expansion of information exchange between the two agencies. In future, this will also include operational information and – insofar as the respective legal bases permit – personal data. Full compliance with European data protection regulations remains a prerequisite.

The agreement is intended to ensure that relevant information is available more quickly where it is needed for operational measures, without compromising the European Union’s data protection requirements.

European security architecture is converging

The new working arrangement highlights the transformation of the European security architecture. Border protection and law enforcement are increasingly viewed as interlinked tasks. Organised crime exploits international supply chains, migration routes and digital communication channels in equal measure. Accordingly, there is a growing need for closer cooperation between European agencies.

Through deeper cooperation between Europol and Frontex, the European Union aims to consolidate situational assessments more quickly, exchange operational intelligence more efficiently and detect cross-border threats at an earlier stage. Given the increasing internationalisation of organised crime and hybrid security risks, this form of cross-agency cooperation is likely to become even more important in the future.