New EU proposals would give Europol a sovereign cloud and a shared data space to fight cross-border crime.

The European Commission has proposed extensive new measures to strengthen Europol and Eurojust, aiming to give the EU’s law enforcement and judicial agencies sharper tools against crime that it said is increasingly sophisticated, international and digital.

The package includes two regulations reinforcing the mandates of Europol and Eurojust, a revision of the European Investigation Order, and changes to the Data Protection Regulation for EU institutions and bodies. The reforms are designed to target criminal networks and hostile actors operating across borders, online and, increasingly, through AI.

Technology is at the heart of the proposed Europol overhaul. The agency will build a secure, scalable and sovereign cloud infrastructure alongside a new Police Shared Data Space, allowing investigators in different member states to work jointly on the same cases in real time. Automated information sharing is intended to replace slower manual exchange between national authorities.

Europol will also set up a technology and innovation hub, giving the EU its first bloc-wide view of law enforcement capability gaps, and helping member states pool investment in joint research and development. Any tools that come out of the hub will be distributed to national authorities through the same shared data space.

On the ground, Europol Support Offices staffed by former Europol officers will be rolled out in member states, widening access to the agency’s forensics and data-analysis capabilities.

Eurojust gets its own tech upgrade: a new information system will let Eurojust and Europol flag cases and information relevant to both agencies, tightening the link between judicial and law enforcement cooperation. Eurojust’s mandate is also being widened into emerging crime areas, including cybercrime, breaches of EU restrictive measures, and gender-based violence, alongside greater power to open coordination on its own initiative.

Separately, the Commission wants to update the European Investigation Order, the standard mechanism for gathering evidence across borders in criminal cases, by clarifying procedures and removing operational snags. A new European Remote Participation Order would let suspects, accused persons and victims take part in criminal hearings remotely from another member state.

“Criminals are highly adept at exploiting the opportunities of the digital realm, operating effectively across borders without limitations,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy yesterday at the announcement.

“With today’s proposals, we are strengthening both Europol and Eurojust so that Europe can respond faster, including in the fight against online criminal activities, share information more effectively, and bring criminals to justice more efficiently.”

“Serious organised crime is becoming increasingly sophisticated, digital and transnational,” said Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection. “Eurojust must be equipped to keep pace with these evolving threats. This reform strengthens the agency’s capacity to support national judicial authorities, coordinate complex cross-border investigations and enhance cooperation with partners across Europe and beyond.

“By modernising Eurojust’s mandate, we are reinforcing the rule of law and ensuring that justice can respond with the same speed and agility as the criminal networks it seeks to disrupt,”

The proposals now move to the European Parliament and member states for negotiation.

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