Europol and EU law enforcement leaders convened this week to address the growing intersection of digital crime and data protection, with high-level discussions at two major events.
At the European Police Chiefs Convention, opened by Jürgen Ebner, Europol’s acting executive director, and Justin Kelly, commissioner of Ireland’s An Garda Síochána, officials emphasized the shift of organized crime into digital spaces. “Organised crime itself has become digital by default. Technology is not just an enabler of criminal activity—it is increasingly driving it,” Ebner said, calling for stronger national capabilities reinforced by shared European resources .
The challenge of balancing investigative needs with fundamental rights took center stage at the 17th Europol Data Protection Experts Network (EDEN) conference in Lisbon on Sept. 22–23. Under the theme *Do Not Cross: Protecting Citizens, Preserving Rights*, experts debated how law enforcement can leverage data and technology without compromising legal protections .
A new report, coordinated by the European Commission with Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, further underscored the strain on digital forensic capabilities. Investigative tools, resources and expertise are struggling to keep pace with the volume and complexity of digital evidence, according to the analysis .
