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In 2019, Statewatch filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman concerning Frontex. The complaint concerned Frontex’s alleged non-compliance with EU rules on public access to documents, the lack of information about sensitive documents in its annual reports, and the agency’s policy to not provide access …

On 8 March 2021, OLAF and Europol reported on an operation that resulted in the seizure of close to five million toys with a total value exceeding €16 million.Between October 2020 and January 2021, Operation LUDUS ran across 24 countries (20 EU Member States …

On 19 January 2021, a Working Arrangement between Europol and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) entered into force. The Working Arrangement lays down detailed practical modalities concerning cooperative efforts to fight crimes affecting the EU’s financial interests.The agreement sets out a number …

At the end of January, under the coordination of Eurojust and Europol, law enforcement and judicial authorities worldwide disrupted EMOTET, a malware programme that acts as an unauthorised door opener for computer systems on a global scale. A “unique feature” of EMOTET is that …

On 28 January 2021, Europol published a spotlight report on the use of violence by organised crime groups. Violence by organised crime groups (OCGs) is of growing concern in the EU with an increasing number of cases submitted to Europol.OCG-related violence appears …

On 1-2 February 2021, the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol (JPSG) held its biannual meeting to discuss the revision and strengthening of Europol’s mandate. The discussion focused on Europol’s handling of large data sets (big data) and included a presentation by the European Data …

On 10 February 2021, Dutch tax authorities, in cooperation with law enforcement and judicial authorities from four EU Member States and supported by Eurojust and Europol, smashed an illegal VAT scheme that involved the purchase and sale of Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. By using …

On 18 February 2021, Europol signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Under the MoU, both agencies will exchange knowledge and expertise to enhance their cooperation in the fight against the illegal production and distribution of doping substances and their …

On 18 February 2021, Polish and German authorities dismantled an international VAT fraud scheme with the support of Europol. The scheme, which concerned the vegetable oil trade, caused the Polish treasury to lose an estimated €17.8 million in tax. Twelve suspects were arrested; it is …

After the adoption of the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime – also dubbed the “European Magnitsky Act” – in December 2020, the EU started to impose the first restrictive measures to individuals in March 2021.