On 31 January 2024, Frontex and Europol signed a joint statement to further enhance their cooperation, particularly in the fields of combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The joint statement on cooperation and complementarity between the two EU law enforcement agencies outlines how they can better coordinate activities to complement each other and how they can identify concrete short- and long-term priority actions. Both agencies stated their commitment to prioritising joint activities that will pursue the following:

• Further strengthen the mutual exchange of information at all levels, including operational information;
• Increase their joint operational impact on cross-border crime, in particular migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings;
• Enhance the agencies’ solid partnership, reflecting both sides’ complementary roles, capabilities, and expertise;
• Intensify joint synergies towards the result-driven implementation of each other’s mandates (avoid duplication of efforts, fill identified gaps, and seek for further alignment);
• Facilitate the speedy conclusion of the working arrangement, so that the full potential offered by the enhanced mandates of both agencies can be fully realised;
• Support the development of new capabilities, in particular through Frontex’s active contribution to the European Innovation Hub and through Europol’s support in the development of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) and interoperability.