Kosovo Signs Cooperation Agreement with Europol

Gazeta Express

27/07/2020 12:43

Kosovo’s ministry of Internal Affairs and Europol signed Monday an agreement on cooperation, which would help Kosovo fight organized crime and corruption, Gazeta Express reports.

Minister of Interior, Agim Veliu, after the signing ceremony said the new agreement would help Kosovo strengthen its capacities in preventing serious crimes and terrorism.

Head of EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, who attended the ceremony on Monday said the agreement of Kosovo with Europol will make Kosovo equal with other countries of the region.

At a meeting held virtually on 9 and 10 June 2020, the Management Board of Europol approved the signing of a Working Arrangement Establishing Cooperative Relations between the Law Enforcement Authorities of Kosovo and the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. The Arrangement approved by the Management Board envisages cooperation between Europol and the Kosovo police and customs forces, tax administration as well as Kosovo’s unit in charge of preventing money laundering, in the field of combating organised crime, corruption and other forms of serious crime.

With this Arrangement, new possibilities for international police cooperation are opened for Kosovo. At the same time, Kosovo was to date the only remaining country in the Western Balkans that did not conclude a cooperation agreement, creating thus no possibilities for information exchange for the purposes of combating serious and organised crime. Based on this Working Arrangement that will become effective on the date of its signature, Kosovo will establish a central office for cooperation with Europol and obtain access to Europol’s communication channel, as well as the possibility of seconding its liaison officer to the Europol headquarters in The Hague. /GazetaExpress/