Grande-Marlaska sets the promotion of international police cooperation as a priority of the Spanish presidency of the EU

Grande-Marlaska made these statements during the inauguration of the conference with which the International Cooperation Division is celebrating its tenth anniversary. The minister stressed that with this body there has been a "qualitative and quantitative leap" in the National Police, which demonstrates "the importance we give in Spain to international cooperation and our determination to continue developing it in an interdependent world".

In fact, the minister added, this will be one of the objectives that the Ministry of Home Affairs has set for the upcoming Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union: "We will continue to put our priority focus on multilateral cooperation through organisations such as Interpol, Ameripol and the agencies and mechanisms of the European Union".

The International Cooperation Division is celebrating its tenth anniversary with the organisation of an international conference entitled "10 years facing global security challenges". The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and a video address by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Coordination, José Manuel Albares.

The conference will be held until Wednesday in Madrid. During the first day, and after the opening ceremony, the Magistrate Director of the CT-JUST Project in Rabat (Morocco), José María Fernández Villalobos, gave a lecture on "Current Models of Multilateral and Regional Cooperation: Characteristics and Challenges".

Wednesday's session will begin with a speech by the Director General of the Police, Francisco Pardo, followed by the Executive Director of EUROPOL, Catherine De Bolle, who will speak on "Europe as a Fundamental Axis in Security Policies". In the afternoon, the Spanish Ambassador to Italy, Miguel Ángel Fernández Palacios, will address the "Challenges of Bilateral Cooperation: New Tools".

Finally, the closing ceremony will be attended by the Undersecretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Coordination, Luis Manuel Cuesta, and the Secretary of State for Security, Rafael Pérez.

International Cooperation Division

The exponential increase in international police cooperation in recent decades has led the National Police to progressively intensify and improve its resources. The International Cooperation Division of the National Police was created in 2013, and subsequently new structures have been created, such as the SIRENE Office and the EUROPOL National Unit. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it was decided that both should also be integrated into the police structure, consolidating their role as a key player in international police cooperation in Spain.

On the other hand, it was necessary to deploy police officers abroad, creating a network of counsellors and attachés in our embassies, in addition to the creation of security teams in many of them. Equally important is the growing presence of Spanish officers in international police cooperation institutions and agencies, and the leadership of the National Police in the European Union's project to promote the development of the American Police Community (AMERIPOL), which includes the vast majority of police forces throughout the Americas, is noteworthy.

Non official translation