As the Minister said in his opening address: "Slovenia sees Europol as one of its key partners in ensuring internal security. The Slovenian Police have been actively cooperating with Europol even at the early stages of investigations, which has helped us to bring investigations to a successful conclusion on several occasions. We look forward to such cooperation in the future." The Minister also stressed that due to Slovenia's geostrategic location, its police investigations are often focused on cooperation with the Western Balkan countries, which is why strengthening cooperation with the countries of this region is so important.

The Minister went on to highlight Europol's role in the fight against organised and transnational crime. By implementing the priorities of the European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats (EMPACT) programme, Europol has become a driving force, bringing together and coordinating the efforts of national law enforcement authorities. In addition to up-to-date and high-quality information, Europol also offers a wide range of tools that are crucial for police services.

The Minister concluded his address with information on the revision of Europol's mandate, which is one of the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. "We have put a lot of effort into negotiations at both the technical and political level. Our aim was to provide Europol with the tools it needs to better support police authorities in the EU. In this respect, there are still some outstanding issues. We therefore hope that the incoming French Presidency will reach an agreement with the European Parliament as soon as possible."

The press release is published on the Slovenian Police website.