On 24 June 2026, the European Commission adopted two legislative proposals to strengthen the mandates of Europol and Eurojust, aiming to enhance the fight against cross-border crime and terrorism. The proposals, presented by Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner Magnus Brunner, and Commissioner Michael McGrath, include measures to improve information sharing, embed advanced technology, and deepen cooperation among EU justice and home affairs agencies.
The proposals build on the European Internal Security Strategy, ProtectEU, adopted a year ago, which committed to addressing evolving security challenges. The Commission argues that criminal networks have become more sophisticated, cross-border, and digital, exploiting gaps in national systems. The reforms seek to close these gaps by automating data uploads to Europol, enabling real-time collaboration, and establishing Europol support offices in member states. For Eurojust, the proposals create a new management board, allow proactive investigations, and expand its mandate to cover emerging crimes such as cybercrime, gender-based violence, and violations of EU restrictive measures.
Commissioner Brunner highlighted that Europol has supported over 20,000 operations in the last six years, leading to nearly 32,000 arrests and seizure of almost €9 billion in assets. He described the update as the most comprehensive in Europol's 25-year history, with four key changes: automated data sharing, real-time collaboration, technology hub creation, and stronger cooperation with new EU agencies like the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) and the EU Customs Authority (EUCA).
Commissioner McGrath outlined three targeted measures for Eurojust: strengthening its mandate, upgrading the European Investigation Order (EIO), and modernising the Data Protection Regulation for EU institutions (EUDPR). He noted that Eurojust's caseload has risen by over 60% since 2020, with six times more suspects investigated. The reforms aim to make investigations more connected and justice faster, including through a new European Remote Participation Order (ERPO) for remote court hearings.
The proposals also emphasise enhanced cooperation with non-EU countries, building on 46 agreements concluded in the last two years, including with Brazil and Peru. The Commission stresses that while competences remain national, solutions must be European, fostering trust among all players.
The reforms are expected to significantly benefit national law enforcement agencies by providing better tools and real-time data sharing, potentially reducing duplication of efforts. EU citizens may gain from improved security and faster justice, but concerns about data privacy and oversight could arise, given expanded data processing powers. The proposals may impose new compliance costs on member states to adapt their systems to Europol's cloud infrastructure and automated data uploads. Technology companies and cybersecurity firms could see increased demand for law enforcement tech solutions, while criminal networks face greater detection risks.