MEPs are divided on how to strengthen the EU’s internal security, and in particular on what new powers should be given to agencies such as Europol or national police forces to access more data, including encrypted data.
During a debate with the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Magnus Brunner, MEPs were divided along political lines, with the EPP accusing the “European left”, as did Sweden’s Tomas Tobé, of not wanting to tackle the problems, and the ESN group, which holds the “left” responsible for insecurity in the EU.
For the S&D group in the European Parliament and the Greens/EFA group led by Birgit Sippel (German) and Saskia Bricmont (Belgian), increasing security does not automatically mean stepping up surveillance of the population, still less repression, with the Belgian MEP citing episodes of police violence in Brussels on 14 October during the general strike.
In 2026, the Commission will present, among other things, a new mandate for the police cooperation agency, Europol, a new legislative package with “a new definition of organised crime” or a roadmap on access to encrypted data or action on data retention, with the impact study launched on this subject due to be “finalised in the first quarter” of 2026, the Commissioner highlighted.
Citing the various threats facing the EU, to the east of the EU and to the south, with the conflict in the Middle East “dividing our communities” and potentially fuelling terrorism, the Commissioner wants to close the technological gap between law enforcement agencies and the criminal groups that are now operating and recruiting “online”.
For Europol, it will be a question of deploying its full “potential” and going further in the analysis of data and strengthening the exchange of information.
Among other things, the crime package will make it possible to develop new investigative tools, and work on access to encrypted data will also have to respect human rights, the Commissioner added.
During the debate, the EPP group insisted on respect for police officers and on cross-border cooperation with joint training and language learning programmes for public forces. It was followed by the ECR group and Belgium’s Assita Kanko, who stressed that police officers must be valued more highly and that supporting them is a shared responsibility for society as a whole.
“In every European country, you will hear horrifying stories about how police officers are being treated. We need to honour them. We need to support them. We need to address their needs by prioritising resources to improve their functioning and well-being, and by giving back a sense of purpose to their mission”.
The Renew Europe group, represented by Fabienne Keller (French), stressed the importance of “strengthening the capacities of EU agencies, enhancing the value of action on the ground and the spirit of cooperation between national police, customs and gendarmeries”, by being “firm on the rules and respectful of the rule of law”. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)