The Rules of Procedure of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol (JPSG) have been adopted at the Meeting of JPSG. The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group is the only form of oversight of the functioning of Europol by the European Parliament, together with national parliaments.
The Chairman of the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order, Mr. Tsvetan Tsvetanov thanked the delegates after the adoption of the rules of procedure and said that this would guarantee the full transparency expected from the European institutions by every citizen. In the opinion of Tsvetan Tsvetanov, it is important for EU security not to leave "white spots" on the map of Europe that can create vacuum conditions and establish zones for influence of other factors on the geopolitical map.
The Chairman of the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order said that the Western Balkans region also has pragmatic significance with respect to combatting goods and drug smuggling, the fight against human trafficking, preventing radicalization and working on identifying and organizing the return of combatants who fought on the side of Daesh. According to Europol data, there are 800 citizens from the Balkan countries who fought on the side of Daesh. That is why it is important to have the necessary control over the management of immigration flows and border control, added Tsvetan Tsvetonov. In his words, these are just some of the examples for the specific areas in which the countries of this region can contribute to the common security of the continent.
The topic of the Western Balkans was one of the main items discussed by the delegates during the meeting. Mr. Oldrich Martinu, Deputy Executive Director of Europol, presented the agency's data on the current state of criminality in the region. According to Mr. Martinu, the Western Balkan region occupies a key position in Europe, still being a destination for illegally handled goods, crimes against property, drugs and smuggling to other parts of the Balkans and from there to EU countries.
