The head of the Delegation of the Bulgarian Socialists in the EP, Christian Vigenin, was elected a member of the Group for Joint Parliamentary Control, which monitors the activities of Europol and the interaction of the agency with the European Prosecutor’s Office. After his election, the MEP said: “I am proud to be part of this group. I believe that I can be active and useful in establishing justice and security for European citizens, while respecting their rights. Europe and Bulgaria are facing great challenges, the institutions have a huge responsibility to ensure the prevention and detection of crimes and threats.”
Europol is responsible for assisting EU member states in preventing and combating serious international crimes – terrorism, drug trafficking, cybercrime and human trafficking. The agency collects intelligence, conducts analysis and coordinates operations to address criminal threats. It ensures security across the EU by upholding human rights standards.
Europol’s Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group provides political oversight of the agency. The aim is to have control over its work, especially in relation to civil rights and ensuring transparency. The group discusses topics such as data protection, cross-border crime and the balance between security and civil liberties.
Christian Vigenin reminded that the activity of the group is directly related to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018, when its second meeting was held in Sofia and the rules for its work were adopted. As chairman of the Committee on European Affairs then, he actively worked for the parliamentary dimension of the presidency.
To contact the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EP: