Europol 2011 Annual Report Shows Involvement in Broad Criminal Justice Operations

  The issuance of the 2011 Europol review showed a number of achievements in criminal cooperation within the European Union.  The highlight of 2011 was Europol opening its new headquarters in the Hague.  It was built to provide state-of-the-art facilities, particularly for its operation center, which has responsibility to coordinate the exchange of criminal intelligence with its international law enforcement partners.  The new Europol facilities received their first real test when the tragic July attacks in Norway prompted Europol to activate the “First Response Network”, bringing together counterterrorism experts from eight EU Member States to provide dedicated support to the Norwegian investigation.[1]