EUROPOL

About us

The European Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) is an Agency of the European Union (EU) located in The Hague, the Netherlands. Europol was established in 1995 and set up as an entity of the Union in 2009 by Council Decision 2009/371/JHA. Regulation (EU) 2016/794 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishes Europol as an EU Agency.

Europol’s objective is to support and strengthen action by the competent authorities of the Member States and their mutual cooperation in preventing and combatting serious crime affecting two or more Member States, terrorism and other forms of crime which affect a common interest covered by a Union policy. In order to achieve this mission, Europol currently employs 755 staff members and had a budget of EUR 130 million for the year 2018.