EU proposes Europol overhaul to combat cross-border online crime

The European Commission unveiled a package on 24 June 2026 to expand Europol’s reach over digital evidence, encrypted platforms and cross-border investigations. The plan, COM(2026) 580 final, bundles two regulations to strengthen Europol and Eurojust, a revision of the European Investigation Order, and amendments to data-protection rules for EU institutions and bodies.

The Commission wants Europol to operate on a secure, scalable and sovereign cloud system and to use a Police Shared Data Space so investigators can exchange information faster in cases that move across borders. It also proposed Europol Support Offices in member states, staffed by Europol officers working alongside national authorities, plus deeper cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and Eurojust. A technology and innovation hub would map law-enforcement capability needs across the bloc and help steer joint research and development.

Criminal networks now function through flexible cross-border ecosystems combining digital infrastructures, illicit financial flows, logistics and online services. Encrypted communications, automation tools and cryptocurrencies have become core operational assets for modern criminal groups. Henna Virkkunen said criminals are highly adept at exploiting the digital realm and moving across borders without limits, which is why Europol and Eurojust need to be strengthened so Europe can respond faster and share information more effectively.

EU-SOCTA 2025, Europol’s fourth edition after assessments in 2013, 2017 and 2021, drew on intelligence from thousands of law-enforcement investigations each year. Serious and organised crime is increasingly nurtured online and accelerated by artificial intelligence. The European Migrant Smuggling Centre was created in early 2016. Networks are decentralized, scalable and increasingly global, with leaders often outside the European Union. Smugglers use social media, encrypted communications and cryptocurrencies to advertise, coordinate and move profits.

Eurojust’s 2024 annual report says it handled nearly 13,000 cross-border crime cases, up by more than 60% over five years, and helped secure more than 1,200 arrests and over €1 billion in seized or frozen criminal assets. The consultation on Europol reform opened on 23 October 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026, and Renew Europe’s Europol 2.0 plan on 16 April 2026 pressed for a more operational agency, greater use of AI and stronger asset-recovery powers.