Lithuania invites Europol to prioritise the prevention of hybrid attacks at the Belarus-Lithuania border

Press release, 26 October 2021

Giedrius Surplys, representative of the Seimas at the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol (JPCG), took part in the 9th meeting of the JPCG on 25-26 October 2021.

Photo by Džoja Gunda Barysaitė, Office of the Seimas

Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol, presented the draft of the Europol Multiannual Work Programme 2022–2024. Speaking on the topic, Mr Surplys thanked Europol for its expert assistance in countering the hybrid attack at the border between Lithuania and Belarus. He also pointed out that illegal migration flows from Belarus continue to cause problems and, therefore, prevention of hybrid attacks at the border between Lithuania and Belarus should be included into the priorities of the Europol Multiannual Work Programme. ‘The smuggling of migrants, organised by Belarus as a dictatorship, is a continuous and obvious threat to the security of Lithuania and the European Union as a whole,’ said Mr Surplys, MP.

During the meeting, representatives of Europol and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office discussed the relevant issues in the fields of financial crime and corruption in the general context of protection of the financial interests of the European Union. Robert Tekavec, representative of the Criminal Police Unit of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and Ylva Johansson, Commissioner for Home Affairs at the European Commission, discussed cybercrime with a particular focus on the strategy aimed at preventing child abuse online. 

The Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol, established in 2016 and composed of representatives of the European Parliament and national Parliaments, exercises parliamentary oversight over Europol’s activities under Article 88 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

Simona Jankauskaitė, Adviser, Office of the Committee on European Affairs, tel. +370 239 6847