Tuesday, 28 March 2023
The 12th meeting of the Europol Joint Parliamentary Control Group (JPC) concluded yesterday in Stockholm.
During the meeting, the European Data Protection Supervisor Mr Wojciech Wiewiorowski presented his observations and recommendations to Europol on data protection. In his intervention, MEP Nikos Kettiros pointed out that the legitimacy of Europol for European citizens is related both to its effectiveness and to ensuring the protection of citizens' fundamental rights and asked for further information on the traveller screening system that Europol is developing jointly with the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).
In discussing the issue of Europol's operational support to Member States, particularly with regard to suspected persons who are "High Value Targets", Mr Myrianthous stressed the need for common criteria and a common understanding to identify these targets. The Cypriot MEP said that organised crime is a serious threat to societies and stressed the need for enhanced cooperation and continuous exchange of information between Member States, European Union (EU) agencies, third countries and international organisations in order to tackle this issue.
Mirianthous stressed that close cooperation and the development of operational action teams within Europol are of particular importance for small countries, such as Cyprus, and more generally with regard to the efforts made by the European Union to combat organised crime. In this context, Mr. Mirianthous criticized Turkey's instrumentalization of irregular migrants in Cyprus.
MP Mr. Chrysanthos Savvidis, in his intervention during the debate on the issue of combating trafficking in human beings, referred to the recent operational achievements in the framework of the Joint Action Days of the European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats and the joint operational activities to combat trafficking in human beings and praised the significant efforts of all parties involved in the fight against trafficking in human beings.
Mr Savvidis also expressed concern about the very low number of prosecutions and convictions of those involved in trafficking offences and stressed the need to provide assistance and support to victims, especially children, so that they can report their exploitation. In this context, he denounced the exploitation and trafficking of irregular migrants in the occupied territories due to their instrumentalization by Turkey.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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