The Europol Regulation entered into force in May 2017. Article 68 of the regulation provides that an evaluation assessing, in particular, the impact, effectiveness and efficiency of Europol and of its working practices should be carried out by the Commission by 1 May 2022 and every five years thereafter. The evaluation may, in particular, address the possible need to modify the structure, operation, field of action and tasks of Europol, and the financial implications of any such modification.

On 9 December 2020, the Commission will present a proposal for a reform of the Europol Regulation before the first five-year implementation and review cycle is complete. Could the Commission please answer the following questions ahead of its presentation of the proposal:

1. Why is the Commission presenting such a reform two years before the established date, and on what evidence has it based its decision?

2. Why is it planning to present a proposal to review Europol’s mandate without having carried out a fully-fledged evaluation of the current mandate as envisaged by the regulation, and when will an evaluation be published?

3. How does it plan to assess the impact of the reform on fundamental rights, including data protection?