Commissioner Magnus Brunner, in a written answer on 19 June 2026, declined to provide specific figures on Europol's external legal costs or the nationality of its legal teams in recent Court of Justice proceedings, stating that the Commission has asked the agency for that information. The answer, responding to a question from MEP Özlem Demirel (The Left), also directed the MEP to the Court of Justice website for data on the number of cases against Europol heard in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The question, submitted on 9 March 2026, sought details on three points: the number of cases against Europol at the CJEU and General Court in each of the three years; the costs incurred for external legal representation in those proceedings; and the countries from which legal teams were recruited. Brunner's response effectively deferred on the cost and nationality queries, noting that the Commission had requested the information from Europol, while the case numbers were publicly available on the CJEU's website.
The answer signals no immediate policy change or new transparency measures regarding Europol's litigation expenses. The Commission's reliance on a pending internal request suggests that detailed financial data on Europol's legal representation is not centrally tracked or readily accessible. This may raise accountability concerns for MEPs and civil society groups monitoring agency spending, while Europol itself faces no immediate obligation to disclose the information beyond the Commission's internal request. The response leaves open the possibility of a future follow-up once the agency provides the data, but no timeline was given.