JHA Counsellors annual event in Brussels focuses on CEPOL’s 2022 achievements and the implementation of the new strategy

On 24 April, the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training held its annual JHA Counsellors event. This important event for the agency is organised every year by the CEPOL Liaison Office in Brussels. Representatives from EU Permanent Representations, the European Commission, as well as partner agencies and organisations, participated in this event to learn about the agency’s main achievements and future goals. This year for the first time, CEPOL extended the invitation to representatives from the beneficiary countries of the agency’s International Cooperation Projects.

Opening the event on behalf of CEPOL, the Executive Director, Ms Montserrat Marín López provided an overview of CEPOL’s activities, with a particular focus on the agency’s new strategy which was adopted by the Management Board last November:

2024 will be the first full-fledged year of implementing the new CEPOL strategy 2023-2027. We are working hard for the realisation of our future goals, reallocating resources and maximising efforts for a smooth transition towards our new enhanced role as the EU hub for law enforcement training. At the same time we will continue to deliver on our past promises and ensure that the law enforcement community will always receive the best possible training at EU level

she noted, and added:

We cannot succeed on this journey, alone. We need you, our partners, to support us and help us spread the word among our audiences within your countries and organisations.

The CEPOL Head of Operations, Ms Mailis Pukonen, explained how CEPOL responds to evolving security challenges defined at EU level, by offering specialised training opportunities to law enforcement officials. She informed participants about the agency’s main achievements in 2022 with a focus on the delivery of CEPOL’s training portfolio. Additionally, she highlighted the CEPOL Research and Science Conference in Vilnius, outlined the work of the CEPOL Knowledge Centres, as well as the enhancements of CEPOL’s Law Enforcement Education platform, LEEd. Ms Pukonen closed her intervention by providing an overview of CEPOL’s main goals and training portfolio for 2023, including the first blended learning programme on Trafficking in Human Beings.

The Head of the CEPOL Training and Research Unit, Ms. Vera Pavinska, informed participants how CEPOL assesses and analyses law enforcement training needs (EU-STNA, OTNA and TNA), with a particular focus on the findings of the latest EU Strategic Training Needs Assessment, which is aligned to the EMPACT Cycle 2022-2025, as well as CEPOL’s OTNA plans for the upcoming years.

The Head of the CEPOL International Cooperation Unit, Mr. Alexandru Niculita explained how the agency contributes to the creation of a strong European security ecosystem via its four capacity building projects in third countries. The presentation also highlighted the main achievements and planned activities for 2023 of the four projects: TOPCOP, EUROMED Police, CT INFLOW and WB PaCT.

In addition to the above, the CEPOL Research and Knowledge Management Officer, Ms. Maria Joao Guia presented the agency’s future outlook in the domain of higher education for law enforcement. During her intervention she highlighted the activities of the CEPOL Higher Education Expert Group, which is tasked with the development of concrete proposals regarding the agency’s future higher education offer for law enforcement officials. Also, CEPOL’s Liaison Officer, Ms. Annika Talmar provided an update regarding the work and activities of the CEPOL Liaison Office in Brussels.