Today, on 16 May 2024, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's membership in Europol at the Police Academy in Tacen.
Europol is the European Union's agency for cooperation in preventing, detecting and investigating organised crime, terrorism and other serious offences affecting two or more Member States. It serves as an important information hub, playing a pivotal role in facilitating the exchange of operational and strategic intelligence essential for the collaborative efforts of law enforcement authorities. Moreover, it ensures consistent developments across Member States. Central to Europol's operations is its analytical capability – approximately 100 criminal analysts utilise state-of-the art tools to support ongoing investigations in the Member States on a daily basis.
Slovenia is one of the safest countries. To keep it that way, it is imperative to strengthen cooperation even further.
The ceremony was honoured by the attendance of the Executive Director of Europol, Catherine De Bolle, who congratulated Slovenia and the Slovenian police on their 20th anniversary of membership in Europol. She highlighted that over the past two decades, Slovenia has developed excellent cooperation with Europol at both strategic and international levels. Slovenia has become a model of exemplary cooperation, with its operational contributions being pivotal in strengthening the EU's internal security. Ms De Bolle remarked on the radical and complex changes the world has undergone, particularly regarding security challenges. "Previously we only had to consider threats in the physical environment, but today we face numerous subtle threats in the digital space. In the past, we did not have contend with the dark web, cryptocurrencies or artificial intelligence, to name a couple of tools and platforms now misused for criminal purposes. Crime does not stop at national borders, and criminal organisations are constantly changing their modus operandi. That is why Europol provides 24/7 support to all Member States, because only together can we effectively address these evolving security threats."
The participants were also addressed by the Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar and Director General of the Police Senad Jušić.
"When we decided over 30 years ago to become independent, we firmly set out on the path of democracy, openness and European integration. EU membership has been our strategic goal since independence. This is logical and expected, as Slovenia has always been culturally and societally embedded in the European space. More importantly, the EU has always been considered a place of stability, security and peace. These values remain crucial today," Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar emphasised in his address.
"This important anniversary of our country's membership in the EU is also closely linked to our membership in Europol. The provision of security is increasingly characterised by transnational aspects and their cross-border effects. Providing security has long ceased to be a task solely for national law enforcement authorities, and the importance of effective and timely international police cooperation is becoming ever more prominent. Europol plays a key role in this, being placed at the heart of the European security architecture," said Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar. He added that Slovenia remains one of the safest countries in the world despite the diverse circumstances and new challenges affecting police work and organisation: "We have all of you to thank for this, and especially the close and excellent cooperation with Europol, which remains our key partner in ensuring Slovenian and European security."
Director General of the Police Senad Jušić stressed that Europol's role will become increasingly important in ensuring a secure future for Europe's citizens. "I extend my gratitude to all of you who have successfully built this strategic friendship between Europol and the Slovenian police over the last two decades. Your work and efforts may often go unnoticed, but we feel their impact every day as you safeguard our security. Fortunately, we can still say that Slovenia is among the safest countries in the world. However, security is a precious commodity that should not be taken for granted, as it is not permanently guaranteed. I am confident that Slovenia and Europol will continue to collaborate effectively for many years to come, even though we would all like to live in a world where there is no need for such cooperation. Nevertheless, as long as our collaboration remains strong, I am hopeful that we may one day create such a world."
Director General of the Police Senad Jušić awarded Europol with a Gold Police Badge in recognition of the organisation's longstanding and excellent cooperation. Executive Director Catherine De Bolle graciously accepted the badge on behalf of the organisation.
Slovenia's participation within Europol has been increasing, positioning it among the leading countries in terms of information exchange relative to its population size.
Since joining Europol as a full member in 2004, Slovenia's active involvement has steadily been increasing, evidenced by the rising volume of information exchanged annually. Notably, Slovenia ranks among the countries with the highest information exchange relative to its population size. Slovenian investigators actively participate in a number of Europol initiatives, joint operations and investigation teams.
The consistent use of Europol's tools and resources, including various analyses, reports, manuals, threat assessments, and risk analyses, plays an important role in shaping national prosecution policies and greatly assists the Slovenian police in effectively combatting crime.
This year saw the introduction of one-month training sessions for criminal investigators at Europol. Equipped with new skills, these investigators are becoming part of an invaluable pool of experienced professionals and enhancing the knowledge base of the Slovenian police force.
Recently, the establishment of operational working groups has proven to be an effective strategy. Slovenia's participation, through seconded experts, in several such groups dealing with issues like drugs and migrant smuggling, has already demonstrated promising results in practice.
Europol National Unit
The Europol National Unit (International Operations Division), which is an integral part of the International Police Cooperation Division within the Criminal Police Directorate of the General Police Directorate, is the national liaison point between Europol and the competent state authorities in Slovenia: internal police organizational units, the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, the Office for Money Laundering Prevention of the Republic of Slovenia and the Asset Recovery Contact Point.
Part of the Europol National Unit is also the Slovenian Liaison Office at Europol's headquarters, staffed by liaison officers from the Slovenian police. This network holds significant importance, as it grants Slovenia direct access to liaison officers from other Europol members, which is vital for the effective prevention, detection and investigation of crime.
The Europol National Unit requires continuous reinforcement to meet the increasing demands of its expanding responsibilities and evolving challenges, while also intensifying its information exchange efforts and addressing emerging threats. Initially comprised of 8 investigators, the unit has expanded to include 15 members. Acting as a vital link, the National Europol Unit facilitates the exchange of data and information between Slovenia and other Europol members.
Find out more about the work of the Europol National Unit.
"Europol has been one of our most valued partners in the fight against crime over the last 20 years"
Despite its small size, Slovenia's geographical location makes it an important crossroads, exposing it to heightened risks of cross-border crime. The success of the Slovenian police largely hinges on close cooperation with law enforcement authorities from neighbouring countries and other European partners. In this context, Europol provides vital assistance to Member States in the fight against organised crime and the activities of criminal organisations.
"Europol has been one of our closest, most trusted and valued partners in the fight against crime over the last 20 years. It has provided us with indispensable support in our work in areas such as people and drug smuggling, sexual exploitation of children, corruption and money laundering, and cybercrime – essentially covering all forms of organised crime," said Director General of Police Senad Jušić.
Irregular migration and migrant smuggling are important areas of collaboration with Europol. This year alone, the Slovenian police have arrested more than 250 people smugglers. Effective combating of migrant smuggling is only possible through close international cooperation and with the assistance of institutions such as Europol.
Together with Europol, we are highly engaged in combating the sexual exploitation of children. Through well-coordinated activities, we identify more perpetrators each year, effectively preventing or stopping these abhorrent crimes and providing direct protection to victims.
We are also collaborating to counter drug smuggling. International criminal groups are looking for new drug-smuggling routes and, due to lower risks, are increasingly targeting smaller and potentially vulnerable ports in Europe, such as the Port of Koper. In March, for example, the Slovenian police discovered and seized more than 200 kg of cocaine during the inspection of a cargo ship arriving from South America, indicating that Slovenia has unfortunately become part of smuggling routes.
Among the areas where Europol's assistance is indispensable is combating cybercrime, as the trails of such crimes typically lead beyond national borders. This form of criminal activity poses one of the greatest contemporary threats. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Slovenia has experienced several attacks on publicly accessible portals of state administration and critical infrastructure, including attacks on the website of the Slovenian police.
Another significant aspect of cooperation with Europol is the fight against corruption. Although economic damage is its only quantifiable consequence, corruption has a broader tangible and intangible impact on citizens. Successfully addressing this harmful phenomenon is crucial for preventing economic damage, strengthening trust in equality before the law and in the functioning of the state, and safeguarding the values of the European Union and its policies.
"There are many other areas where cooperation with Europol is of vital importance. There are countless positive operational outcomes, impossible to enumerate. The overarching theme remains the understanding that international cooperation is essential for effectively addressing modern security challenges that transcend national borders," emphasised Mr Jušić.
More information about Slovenia's participation in Europol