The institutional development of the European police agency (Europol) after the adoption of the Europol convention

The article examines the development of the European Police Office (Europol) in the 2000s and attempts to reform the Europol Convention during this period. The reform of Europol, which took place under the EU decision, is examined, which transformed Europol into an executive body of the Union and expanded the functional scope of the organization to combat organized crime, terrorism and other serious forms of crime. Thus, Europol was transformed into an organization within the EU. A process of centralization of its management took place, aimed at making the structure of police cooperation more effective and formalized so that European states could participate in decision-making in the field of police cooperation at the European level. The problems in the activities of Europol that led to the need for its reform are examined, in particular, shortcomings in the institutional structure, management procedures and organizational fragmentation. The importance of the problem of coordinating joint actions in individual issues of combating organized crime is emphasized, which is considered on the example of combating money laundering. It is emphasized that only the reform allowed Europol to become a full-fledged actor of international police cooperation. In particular, this happened by including in its mandate new types of crime against which the organization’s activities were directed, such as cybercrime and terrorist crime. The importance of politicization of Europol’s activities in the process of its development is emphasized, which led to a further expansion of its powers, in particular by authorizing European police officials to participate in the work of joint investigation teams and coordination of investigative actions, as well as changing the procedure for information exchange within Europol. The strengthening of Europol’s operational role is emphasized, which was caused by the change in the nature of organized crime, which the organization opposed. The problems that arose in the way of Europol’s development, such as state sovereignty and bureaucratic resistance, are investigated. It is concluded that the strengthening of Europol’s organizational role was the result of a balance between Europol’s intergovernmental nature and the protection of the interests of individual EU Member States.