Kristian Vigenin: Europol and the European Public Prosecutor's Office can together increase the detection of misuse of European funds

„There are too few convictions for the misuse of European funds. These unpunished crimes harm all of us. That is why cooperation between Europol and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office needs to be strengthened.“

This was stated by the head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP Kristian Vigenin to the 15th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group for Europol, which was held in Brussels.

Cooperation between Europol and national authorities

The meeting discussed the growing number of crimes against personal data, the violations of fundamental human rights, the need to prevent the security threats arising from illegal migration, and the fight against cybercrime.

Kristian Vigenin emphasised the need for cooperation between Europol and the national authorities: „For Bulgaria this cooperation is of exceptional importance, because we are also an external border of the union. It is good that the agency’s programme provides for stronger support for the EU member states against serious organised crime, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and migration channels. The interoperability of the information systems will be improved and new digital forensic tools will be developed.“

The Executive Director of Europol Ms Catherine De Bolle presented Europol’s strategy for the period 2025 to 2027. It aims to create a comprehensive approach to fighting crime in Europe, to strengthen Europol’s role as a central information base for criminal investigations and to increase its operational action in real time.