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European Federation of Police Unions

EU.Pol

EU.Pol is an European Federation whom will represent all police officers unions from Europe.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Proposal for a new Regulation on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)

31 Jul 2025

The European Federation of Police Unions (EU.Pol), representing over 307,000 officers in national law enforcement and internal security services across Europe, welcomes the Commissions initiative to revise the Europol Regulation. We support the aim of adapting Europols mandate to evolving threats and reinforcing its role as a key pillar of the EUs internal security system. However, this must be paired with strong professional standards, respect for subsidiarity, and a clear focus on the needs of frontline policing. As the Commission reconsiders the balance of Europols mandate, we caution against centralisation that would disconnect the agency from its role as a support structure to Member States. Europol should remain a coordinating and enabling forcenever a paral-lel command entity. Strengthening its analytical and technological capacity is important, but it must directly serve national policing and not replicate it. The legal framework (Art. 88 TFEU) makes clear that responsibility for security lies with Member States. The Regulation should reflect that principle while allowing Europol to act as a flexible and reliable partner. Operational cooperation will fail if national law enforcement systems are chronically un-der-resourced. EU.Pol calls on the Commission to better align internal security funding with the Europol mandate. We recommend targeted support for Member State forces, including investment in digital infrastructure, interoperability, staffing, training, and se-condment programmes. Europols effectiveness depends on real-world capacity in the field. As Europols mandate and visibility grow, so too must its internal standards. EU.Pol calls for binding participation rights for staff and seconded officers, and harmonised, transparent employment conditions. Adequate pay, fair working hours, and proper occupational health provisions must be guaranteed. A futureproof agency must also be a responsible employer. The Regulation should embed high social standards, including gender equality and anti-discrimination. EU.Pol urges systematic recognition of the risks faced by police officersincluding physical violence, trauma, and chronic stress. We propose that the revised Regulation include a mandate for Europol to collect and analyse data on occupational risks, and establish structured channels for Member States to report relevant indicators. Europol should coordinate with CEPOL and national bodies to integrate findings into training, prevention, and mental health strategies. Police resilience is not only about equipmentit is about protecting those who protect others. We support Europols development as the EUs information and coordination hub. But digital strategies, AI deployment, and technical innovation must meet the real needs of frontline policing. The Regulation should ensure transparency, ethics, and user-driven development in all new technologies, and provide training and equitable access to avoid deepening divides between Member States. A revised Europol Regulation offers a chance to build a more capable and connected EU security system. But capability begins with credibility. That means respecting subsidiarity, reinforcing trust, and ensuring the women and men behind the badge are protected and heard. EU.Pol is open to being consulted on this initiative and committed to contributing to a fair, effective, and forward-looking reform process.
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Response to Quality Jobs Roadmap

29 Jul 2025

Please find attached the written contribution of the European Federation of Police Unions (EU.Pol) in the context of the Call for Evidence on the Quality Jobs Roadmap. EU.Pol welcomes the initiative and calls for police work to be recognised as a high-risk profession. The paper demands better investment in policing, inclusion in social dialogue, binding EU standards on mental health and AI, and targeted support for gender equality. It urges the EU to stop using subsidiarity as an excuse for inaction and ensure decent conditions for those who safeguard Europes internal security.
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Response to New rules on fighting organised crime

26 Jun 2025

EU.Pol is the biggest European Federation of Police Unions. We represent 310.000 police officers. And even we welcome all these actions we feel that the police officers as a person are often forgotten in these thematics. Making sure that police officers feel well and protected while executing there difficult and highly dangerous tasks will improve the quality of law enforcement drastically. The changing global security environment demands a new approach to internal security in Europe. A comprehensive strategy that integrates external and internal security efforts is essential to protect European citizens and institutions. Law enforcementagencies must be empowered through stronger cooperation frameworks, intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and joint operational capabilities. EU.Pol urges Europeanpolicymakers and law enforcement leaders to prioritize internal security as a key pillarof European stability and resilience. www.eu-pol.euBy investing in a more cohesive security framework, Europe can ensure that its internalsecurity structures are as strong as its external defense mechanisms, creating a safer andmore resilient continent. Therefore we must invest in cooperation, harmonization, and thewell-being of those who uphold the rule of law. This requires robust structures, sustainablefunding, and a shared commitment to modernizing policing practices. However, no securityframework can succeed if weaknesses remain unaddresseda chain is only as strongas its weakest link. By reinforcing every link in the chain, we can build a safer and moreresilient Europe for all.
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Response to Impact assessment on retention of data by service providers for criminal proceedings

13 Jun 2025

We, as a European police union, advocate for a legislative initiative by the EU Commission to harmonize the rules on data retention in criminal proceedings for targeted data storage subject to judicial oversight and legal safeguards to enable effective law enforcement. As police officers responsible for maintaining internal security, we are concerned that investigative efforts of law enforcement are increasingly hampered by technical and legal barriers not least due to a lack of or inconsistent regulations on data retention in Europe. Therefore, we expressly welcome the European Commission's impact assessment initiative. From the perspective of police practice, targeted storage of certain communication metadata (especially IP addresses with timestamps) is indispensable for identifying perpetrators and securing evidence be it in the areas of online terrorism, organized crime, or sexual violence against children. The current fragmented legal framework in the EU hinders cross-border investigations, complicates international cooperation, and jeopardizes the value of digital evidence. An EU-wide legal framework would create legal certainty and reliability for both investigative authorities and providers. We advocate for a limited, technologically neutral retention obligation for specific data categories such as IP addresses, login times, or traffic data with user reference with strict judicial oversight over access regulations and upholding the principles of necessity and proportionality. The rights to data protection and privacy must be respected, but it must also be noted that these rights are not absolute. These rights must be weighed against the state's obligation to ensure public safety and security and victims entitlement to effective law enforcement and legal protection. It is disproportionate if perpetrators remain unidentified because their IP address was deleted before an investigation request could be made. Feedback from the EU project SIRIUS (SIRIUS EU Electronic Evidence Situation Report 2024) and the High-Level Group on Access to Data for Effective Law Enforcement (Concluding Report of the High-Level Group on Access to Data for Effective Law Enforcement) shows that the lack of retention obligations is one of the main obstacles to effective law enforcement investigations. According to the SIRIUS Report 2024, 41% of surveyed respondents stated that the lack of stored data is the biggest challenge in accessing electronic evidence. In addition, the new e-Evidence rules are rendered ineffective if the requested data no longer exists. Therefore, we advocate for a legislative proposal that: creates a union-wide, technologically neutral minimum retention obligation for IP addresses; establishes transparent, graduated access criteria (e.g., court order); equally includes providers regardless of the communication channel (traditional or OTT); considers data protection, data security, and the requirements from CJEU case law. Without legally sound, proportionate retention regulations, the EU will increasingly become a lawless digital space for perpetrators. It is high time to effectively balance fundamental rights for security, legal protection, and the defense of our rule of law.
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Meeting with Paulo Rangel (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

6 Jun 2022 · Prum II Regulation