In the first meeting of the newly established JPSG, representatives of the European Parliament and the EU national parliaments discussed the increased role of Europol and its key role in the fight against serious international crime and terrorism and support in boosting Europe’s security by assisting law enforcement authorities in EU Member States. Consideration of the draft Rules of procedure of the JPSG were also on the agenda of the meeting. The national parliaments and the European Parliament strongly debated the above matters, and a number of suggestions and comments on the proposed methods and procedures of the joint activities of the JPSG were presented.
Julius Sabatauskas, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs, welcomed the fact that national parliaments and the European Parliament were genuinely active in exercising their new rights and undertaking new obligations. He expressed an opinion that the JPSG should become a successful precedent of the joint activities of the European Parliament and national parliaments. He underlined that “the joint work and activities of the European Parliament and national parliaments in carrying out the parliamentary control over Europol’s activities should become a European success story, because it will constitute a precedent for similar formats,” Mr Sabatauskas noted it was essential to establish appropriate rules of procedure of the JPSG and set efficient work methods, since we would be able to change this after a period of 2 years only.
The meeting concluded that, although the adoption of the Rules of Procedure and the JPSG was postponed until the next meeting, which was due to take place in March 2018 in Bulgaria, at this meeting, together with the European Parliament, national parliaments have managed to discuss issues of substance and to identify the problems that need to be addressed in the near future.
It is established in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, adopted on 11 May 2016 and in the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EU) 2016/794 on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and replacing and repealing Council Decisions 2009/371/JHA, 2009/934/JHA, 2009/935/JHA, 2009/936/JHA and 2009/968/JHA that the European Parliament and national parliaments perform scrutiny of Europol’s activities. In view of this, the JPSG has been established to include representatives of the European Parliament and national parliaments to carry out the parliamentary oversight of Europol’s activities. So far, the Group has only heard the information at the national parliaments once a year.
