The JHA Counsellors / COSI Support Group, a Council preparatory body, is scheduled to meet on 25 June 2026 in Brussels to advance operational planning for EMPACT joint action days in 2027, discuss cooperation with third countries, and address law enforcement access to encrypted data. The meeting, whose notice and provisional agenda were published on 24 June 2026, will bring together representatives from member states, EU agencies including Europol, Eurojust, Frontex, and the Fundamental Rights Agency, as well as the European Commission.
The agenda includes preparing strategic guidance for the 2027 Joint Action Days under the European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), with presentations from Frontex on threat assessments and from Europol on mapping the most threatening criminal networks and on emerging threats. Europol will also provide a state-of-play on EMPACT funding. On external cooperation, the group will exchange views on a draft EU-CLASI ministerial declaration and hear a Commission presentation on setting up an EU-MENA regional dialogue on internal security.
A substantial part of the meeting is devoted to access to data for effective law enforcement, covering encryption and standardisation. The Commission and Europol will present on law enforcement representation in standardisation bodies, while the Commission will update on the Expert Group for a Technology Roadmap on Encryption. The Fundamental Rights Agency will present a survey on encryption and concerns about access to private online communication, and Eurojust and Europol will present illustrative case examples. Sweden will brief on the 2nd International Symposium on Lawful Access planned for November 2026. The incoming Irish Presidency will also present its priorities.
The meeting reflects ongoing efforts to balance operational effectiveness against serious crime with fundamental rights and data protection. The EMPACT framework, which coordinates EU-wide law enforcement operations, relies on joint action days that target priority crime areas such as drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and cybercrime. The encryption debate touches on a long-standing tension between law enforcement needs for data access and privacy safeguards, with the Fundamental Rights Agency's survey likely to inform the discussion. The EU-MENA dialogue aims to strengthen internal security cooperation with Middle East and North African countries, building on existing partnerships.
Stakeholders impacted include EU law enforcement agencies, which stand to gain clearer operational guidance and funding for 2027 operations; tech companies and encryption providers, who may face increased pressure to facilitate lawful access; civil liberties advocates, who will scrutinise any moves to weaken encryption; and third countries in the MENA region, which could see deepened security cooperation with the EU. The meeting does not take formal decisions but prepares the ground for Council conclusions and operational mandates.