The TOPCOP project

The second phase of the Training and Operational Partnership against Organised Crime (TOPCOP) project continues to support Eastern Partnership countries in their fight against organised crime. The project aims to further enhance operational effectiveness and joint efforts between the Eastern Partnership and the EU, strengthening the strategic and operational cooperation across the region to address criminal threats.

Building on the achievements of the first phase of the TOPCOP project (2020-2024), the new cycle strengthens regional cooperation by improving mechanisms for information sharing, joint operations, and regional initiatives. It aims to build the institutional capacities of law enforcement agencies by fostering internal training capabilities, developing sustainable training programmes, and establishing a network of trainers and mentors. The training portfolio places greater emphasis on specialised and advanced topics, addressing the region's evolving crime landscape.

Specific objectives

Under the TOPCOP project, and in partnership with Europol, CEPOL aims to:

increase effectiveness of joint response mechanisms between law enforcement authorities of Eastern Partnership countries and EU Member States in investigating and combatting organised crime and criminal threats;
promote law enforcement cooperation and information exchange and develop effective tools to prevent and fight organised crime.

The project is coordinated in three components:

1. Strategic and support networks

This component strengthens law enforcement cooperation by fostering strategic dialogue between operational and training actors, promoting intelligence sharing, and driving coordinated actions against serious and organise crime.

Strategic Cooperation Forum (SCF)

The SCF brings together Heads of Operational Units and Heads of Training Institutions every two years to facilitate strategic discussions, reinforce cooperation and improve threat preparedness. Through this forum, decision makers reflect on criminal trends and set training priorities, ensuring that capacity-building efforts align with operational needs and EU strategic objectives. The SCF engages EU institutions, EU agencies, EU Member States and actors from the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions to strengthen join efforts and shape coordinated responses to organised crime.

EMPACT Support Network (ESN)

The ESN supports engagement with the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) by fostering cross-border cooperation and promoting knowledge exchange. It provides a platform for sharing good practices from both operational and training perspectives, focusing on crime trends, case studies, and lessons learned. Through dedicated workshops, the ESN increases participation in EMPACT activities and reinforces its external dimension, supporting National EMPACT ESN Coordinators, training coordinators, and operational officers from the Eastern Partnership. It also serves as a demand-driven resource, developing materials to ensure effective knowledge transfer and capacity building across the region.

2. Knowledge and operational capacities

This component strengthens the expertise of law enforcement officials of Eastern Partnership through specialised training, multiplication courses and the OTNA process, ensuring knowledge and best practices are systematically shared across agencies and borders.

Training portfolio

The second phase of TOPCOP delivers a targeted set of training initiatives tailored to the evolving challenges faced by law enforcement in Eastern Partnership countries. It reinforces skills and competencies needed to combat key organised crime threats. Training is delivered through a range of formats, including onsite courses, online learning, webinars, study visits, exchanges, and mentoring, with participation from police, customs, prosecutors and other relevant services.

To maximise the impact, these activities align with EU strategic priorities, integrate regional initiatives, and promote closer cooperation between the different law enforcement services and judicial authorities.

Multiplication training courses

CEPOL strengthens the impact of training by applying the multiplication concept, which includes curriculum development, train the trainer courses and cascading at the national level. This approach ensures that the expertise is transferred in a systematic and uniform manner, adhering to common standards across partner countries. As a result, a regional pool of law enforcement professionals trained by CEPOL is established, capable of delivering instruction in line with CEPOL standards.

Operational Training Needs Analysis

CEPOL utilises the Operational Training Needs Analysis (OTNA) process to assess training gaps and ensure a structured approach to capacity building in Eastern Partnership countries. By using data-driven analysis and prioritisation, OTNA identifies key areas where law enforcement training is needed. The project promotes cooperation at regional, sub-regional, and national levels, with a new OTNA scheduled for 2026, aligning with the next EMPACT cycle to further refine training needs. Expected outcomes include closer institutional cooperation, improved operational expertise, and wider engagement with EMPACT crime priorities.

3. Increased Analytical Dialogue

In its second phase, the project builds on the achievements of the Analysis Single Points of Contact (ANASPOC) network and continues to advance the skills and knowledge attained during the first phase. The ANASPOC will focus on drafting and producing strategic analysis products that address priority regional criminal threats. To further deepen knowledge from different perspectives and specific technical expertise, a series of workshops will be organised to explore emerging criminal threats in greater detail. To promote community coordination and knowledge exchange, ANASPOC will participate in the annual EU Criminal Analysis Conference organised by Europol and in tailored study visits.