The European Parliament’s LIBE Committee has approved a reform expanding Europol’s mandate to tackle migrant smuggling, prompting criticism from civil society groups over privacy and human rights risks. The move increases the agency’s authority, resources, and data collection capabilities, with a final plenary vote expected later this month.
Lawmakers on the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee have voted in favor of a new Europol regulation, part of the EU’s Facilitators Package aimed at combating migrant smuggling and human trafficking, LIBE posted on Wednesday on the platform X. The vote passed with 59 in favour, 10 against, and 4 abstentions.
The proposed regulation would allow Europol unprecedented powers to collect, process, and share personal data, including biometrics such as facial recognition, even with non-EU countries and "authoritarian regimes," European Digital Rights (EDRi), a collective of NGOs, experts, and advocates, has warned.
Civil society groups have raised concerns that the rules could specifically impact migrants, aid workers, and journalists alike, with limited oversight or transparency.
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Reforms could be used against migrants and minorities, EDRi warns
EDRi and data protection advocates condemned the vote, arguing it risks creating a "digital police state."
"By voting in favour of the Europol Regulation, Members of the LIBE Committee have greenlighted the European Commission’s long-term plan to turn Europe into a digital police state," EDRi cited EU Policy Analysis Caterina Rodelli as saying. "It is time for the European Parliament to show foresight and oppose any attempt to instrumentalise migration policies to attack everyone’s rights and profit the surveillance industry.”
Chloé Berthélémy, senior policy advisor at EDRi, says the recently approved Europol reform "legitimises the agency’s unaccountable and opaque data practices and warrants their extensive use against migrants, racialized communities and human rights defenders."
According to Berthélémy, Europol’s "expansive approach to data collection, storage and analysis creates a data black hole which fundamentally undermines people’s rights and the rule of law. The European Parliament has one last chance to prevent the deployment of a harmful surveillance infrastructure against the most marginalised in our societies."
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European Commission boosts Europol funding
The move follows a political agreement reached in September between the European Parliament and the Council to boost Europol’s mandate and resources to fight smuggling networks.
The European Commission announced that Europol would receive 50 additional staff and 50 million euros in extra funding, including 20 million euros dedicated to enhanced processing of biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images, according to the German news agency dpa.
EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner welcomed the agreement, stating: "This regulation is part of our new system to manage migration. We must be the ones to decide who comes to the EU, not migrant smugglers."
The regulation, first proposed by the European Commission in November 2023, now awaits a final plenary vote and formal approval by member states in the Council of the EU.