Catherine De Bolle, (Left) the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation – Europol and Piotr Hofmański, President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), signed a Working Arrangement at Europol Headquarters in The Hague (The Netherlands) Apr. 25, 2023.
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The International Criminal Court (ICC) and EUROPOL on Tuesday signed a Working Arrangement at Europol Headquarters in The Hague (The Netherlands) to help battle war crimes. Judge Piotr Hofmański, the President of the ICC, and Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director of EUROPOL signed the Working Arrangement that provides a legal framework to establish cooperative relations between the ICC and Europol, for the two institutions to enhance their cooperation and encourage the exchange of information, knowledge, experience and expertise. Under the arrangement, the cooperation may include the exchange of specialist knowledge, evidence gathering, general situation reports, results of strategic analysis, information on criminal investigation procedures, information on crime prevention methods, the participation in training activities as well as providing advice and support in individual criminal investigations.
“I look forward to the enhanced cooperation and interaction which will take place under this Working Arrangement. Europol’s expertise and specialist knowledge is world-leading and the ICC is fortunate to be able to benefit from it. I am confident that the strengthened relationship between the ICC and Europol can enhance the capacity of both our organisations to discharge their respective mandates aimed at ensuring that serious crimes do not go unpunished.”
-ICC President Piotr Hofmański
The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.
Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation – Europol (Credit: Europol)
De Bolle, 51, is the first female ever appointed to the top job as head of Europe’s police organization.
“The signature of this working arrangement is an important step forward for the international efforts to hold to account those guilty of some of the world’s worst crimes. At Europol, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide have been part of our mandate since 2017. We have received contributions on war crimes from over 20 different areas of conflict, such as Syria, Iraq, Libya and most recently Ukraine. This new level of cooperation with the ICC will allow for a more effective response to core international crimes, with all relevant actors working together and sharing information and resources to end impunity.”
–Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director, EUROPOL
Europol is the European Union’s Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. It serves as the centre for law enforcement cooperation, analytical expertise and criminal intelligence in Europe. De Bolle replaced Rob Wainwright in 2018 as the new Europol boss.
Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation – Europol (Credit: Europol)
The female Executive Director of Europe’s police organization has broken through many “glass ceilings” during her impressive law enforcement career. De Bolle made history in 2012 when she became the first woman appointed Commissioner General of the Federal Police in her native Belgium.
Europol employs more than 1,000 personnel, including around 170 analysts, to identify and track “the most dangerous criminal and terrorist networks in Europe.”
