Their Majesties the King and Queen of the Belgians have visited Europol today in The Hague, the Netherlands, where they heard about the Agency’s work in helping EU Member States fight serious and organised crime across Europe.
Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle welcomed their Majesties, who were accompanied by the Belgian Minister of the Interior Annelies Verlinden.
Their Majesties and the delegation toured Europol’s Operational Centre, which provides round-the-clock support to over 2 600 law enforcement authorities connected to Europol’s secure channels.
Their Majesties were briefed on Europol’s latest investigations into Europe’s most threatening criminal networks. In 2023, Europol supported 3 155 investigations into high-level organised crime and produced over 23 000 operational reports.
The King and Queen of the Belgians also heard about the challenges associated with investigating child sexual abuse online. Europol emphasised that sustainable solutions must be found to facilitate the flow of information to prevent this heinous crime.
Their Majesties visited Europol’s forensic cybercrime laboratory.
Finally, the King and Queen of the Belgians met with the Belgian community at Europol. Some fifty Belgian nationals are currently working across the organisation.
Belgium is holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union until 30 June 2024. The Belgian Presidency has put forward different priorities that are of direct importance to the work of Europol. Tackling large-scale organised crime networks is one such priority.
Source – Europol