The role of Europol in handling illegal migration on the West-Balkans: Interview with Gábor Sztankovics, action group leader of European Migrant Smuggling Centre at Europol

Abstract

Europol (European Police Office) is the EU’s law enforcement agency, whose remit is to help make Europe safer by assisting law enforcement authorities in EU member countries. Europol plays a central role among the institutions dealing with safety of the European Union. It offers on the spot support for law enforcement actions, acts as admin on information about offences and acts as a centre of law enforcement knowledge. The agency employs more hundred criminal analysers from the best European experts having the task to help every day’s work of member state authorities by most up-to-date means of labour. How is it realised in the practice and what are the activities of the organisation in the West-Balkans – we asked Gábor Sztankovics, action group leader of European Migrant Smuggling Centre at Europol by Zsuzsanna Hornyik as dialogue partner.