The rules of procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol were adopted at the meeting between the group and Europol. The Joint Group is the only form of supervision over the functioning of Europol by the European Parliament and the national legislative institutions.

Chair of the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order Tsvetan Tsvetanov thanked the delegates after the adoption of the rules of procedure and said that this would ensure full transparency, which every citizen expected from the EU institutions. According to Tsvetan Tsvetanov, with regard to the security of the EU, we should not leave “blank spaces” on the map of Europe, which can create vacuum and areas of influence from other factors on the geo-political map. The Chair of the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order said that the Western Balkans region had a pragmatic significance regarding the fight against the smuggling of goods and drugs, trafficking in human beings, prevention of radicalisation, and the work on detection and return of soldiers who fought for ISIS. According to Europol data, 800 citizens from the Balkan countries have fought for ISIS. This is why it is important to implement scrutiny on managing immigration flows and border control, added Tsvetan Tsvetanov. In his words, these are only a few examples in concrete areas, in which the countries from the region can contribute to the security of the continent.

The topic of the Western Balkans was among the main topics discussed by the delegates at the meeting. Europol’s Deputy Executive Director Oldřich Martinů presented the agency’s data about crime in the region. According to Oldřich Martinů, the Western Balkans region has a key location in Europe and is still a destination for illegally transferred goods, property crimes, drugs and transfer of smuggled goods to other parts of the Balkans and from there to EU member states.