Grande-Marlaska advocates before Europol and Eurojust the creation of joint international investigation teams

"For Europol and Eurojust it is essential to develop closer cooperation with third countries, which requires the possibility of ensuring an appropriate exchange of information and the option of setting up joint investigation teams or other forms of cooperation to enable us to jointly combat the various manifestations of criminality," said Grande-Marlaska.

Strengthening international cooperation is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Home Affairs in view of Spain's upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) during the second half of 2023, which it has had the opportunity to present to European agencies.

Grande-Marlaska's visit to the headquarters of Europol in The Hague is in response to the invitation made by its executive director, Catherine de Bolle, during her visit to Madrid last September, and has served to give the Spanish minister first-hand knowledge of how the European agency operates, and of its short- and medium-term priorities and challenges.

At the meeting with the Europol directors, the minister was accompanied by the Spanish ambassador to the Netherlands, Consuelo Femenía, and the director general for International Relations and Foreigners of his department, Elena Garzón, among others.

During the meeting, Grande-Marlaska took the opportunity to inform his interlocutors that for the Ministry of Home Affairs "strengthening cooperation with the Latin American and Caribbean region to promote policies in the fight against organised crime will be a priority during the next Spanish Presidency of the EU in 2023".

In addition to international cooperation, the Minister for Home Affairs added that "we also seek to foster collaboration between key actors involved in the prevention and prosecution of terrorism and violent radicalisation, with special emphasis on public-private collaboration and the strengthening of European structures for the protection of victims of terrorism".

"I am convinced that the upcoming Spanish Presidency of the EU will ensure that our vision of the fight against organised and serious crime is developed in a sustainable way, in the hope that increased cooperation with our partners in third countries will serve as an indispensable starting point," added the Minister for Home Affairs.

Eurojust

The Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during his visit to Eurojust headquarters

After visiting Europol's headquarters, the Minister went to the headquarters of Eurojust where he held a working meeting with its president, Ladislav Hamran.

At the meeting, Grande-Marlaska insisted that Spain "is committed to the EU's internal security strategy and the fight against serious organised crime and terrorism", defending the need for Eurojust to improve its collaboration mechanisms with third countries to better tackle cross-border crime.

Also at the meeting, the Minister for Home Affairs summarised his department's priorities for the upcoming Spanish Presidency of the EU, listing the fight against terrorism, radicalisation and organised crime; prevention in the face of common challenges such as cybersecurity, cybercrime and the fight against disinformation; police cooperation, interoperability and training; and the adaptation of the common European policy on migration, borders and asylum to current needs and future challenges.

Non official translation