CEPOL, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training, is an agency of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

dedicated to training

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

officials. The institution was founded in 2000 and adopted its current legal mandate on 1 July 2016. It is based in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, Hungary.

History

CEPOL was established by Council Decision 2000/820/JHA in 2000, which was modified in 2005 by Council Decision 2005/681/JHA. It was originally seated at Bramshill House in

Bramshill Bramshill is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Its name has become synonymous with the Police Staff College, Bramshill located in Bramshill House. Bramshill forms part of the district of Hart. It is bordered by the Rivers ...

, Hampshire, England, but was relocated to Budapest, Hungary in 2014 following a

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body (directorial system) and a symbolic collective head of state, that defines the overall political direction and general priorities of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the he ...

decision the previous year.

Organisation

CEPOL contributes to a safer European Union by facilitating cooperation and knowledge sharing among law enforcement officials of the

EU Member States The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated population of over 449million as of 2024. The EU is often de ...

and to some extent, from third countries, on issues stemming from EU priorities in the field of security; in particular, from the EU Policy Cycle on serious and organised crime. CEPOL brings together a network of training institutes for law enforcement officials in EU Member States and supports them in providing frontline training on security priorities, law enforcement cooperation and information exchange. CEPOL also works with EU bodies, international organisations, and third countries to ensure that the most serious security threats are tackled with a collective response. CEPOL is headed by an Executive Director, who is accountable to a Management Board. The Management Board is made up of representatives from EU Member States and the

EU Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of members of the Commission ( directorial system, informally known as "commissioners") corresponding t ...

. The chair of the Management Board is a representative of one of the three Member States that have jointly prepared the Council of the European Union's 18-month programme. The Management Board meets at least two times per year. In addition, CEPOL has dedicated National Units (CNUs) in every Member State to provide information and assistance to law enforcement officials who wish to participate in CEPOL's activities. CNUs also support CEPOL's operations. The agency's annual work programme is built with input from this network and other stakeholders, resulting in topical and focused activities designed to meet the needs of Member States in the priority areas of the EU internal security strategy. Moreover, CEPOL assesses training needs to address EU security priorities. CEPOL's current portfolio encompasses residential activities, online learning (i.e. webinars, online modules, online courses, etc.), exchange programmes, common curricula, research and science.

Cooperation beyond the EU

CEPOL cooperates with various law enforcement agencies and governments beyond the EU. For instance, on 2 February 2024 CEPOL Executive Director Montserrat Marín López met with Aram Hovhannisyan, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and Police Chief Major General of

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. The sides discussed enhancing cooperation and dialogue, among other issues of mutual interest. CEPOL cooperates with countries in the

European Neighbourhood Policy The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is a foreign relations instrument of the European Union (EU) which seeks to tie those countries to the east and south of the European territory of the EU to the Union. These countries include some who seek ...

, including countries of the EU's

Eastern Partnership The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint initiative of the European Union, together with its member states, and six Eastern Europe, Eastern European countries. The EaP framework governs the EU's relationship with the post-Soviet states of Armen ...

and countries in the

Western Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and North Africa. CEPOL assists the authorities of these countries to tackle organized crime, terrorism, and encourages information exchange.

References

External links

Official site

REGULATION (EU) 2015/2219 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
November 2015. Agencies of the European Union Law enforcement in Europe International organisations based in Hungary 2001 establishments in the United Kingdom 2001 in the European Union Government agencies established in 2001 Police academies {{EU-stub

History

Organisation

Cooperation beyond the EU

See also

References

External links