THE EUROPOL REGULATION: A NEW LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE PROCESSING OF CRIME-RELATED DATA IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The new Europol Regulation introduces a clear extension of the powers of this agency, which consolidates the added value of Europol both within and outside the EU. However, the Regulation includes some changes that have been issue of debate and somewhat controversial. This article analyses the new provisions in the Europol Regulation that seek to improve the coherence and efficiency of the agency in the prevention and combat of transnational crimes. The main objective of this study is to identify those clauses in the Regulation that extend the powers of Europol in the processing of crime-related data. Likewise, it examines the provisions that, instead, limit the functions of Europol as compared to the former Europol Council Decision. As demonstrated in this study, the interplay of opposed interests in the context of security has led to the inclusion of some unclear and even incoherent aspects in the new Europol Regulation.