EUROPOL data leak: Europol director Wainwright and Commissioner King must explain before Parliament - Main contents

The Dutch TV programme Zembla has today reported a leak of documents on international terrorism investigations by European Police Office, Europol, who seem to have failed to protect very sensitive information. Reacting to this scandal, European liberals and democrats call on Commissioner King and the director of Europol, Rob Wainwright, to come to the European Parliament to explain and clarify the facts related to this reported leak.

Sophie in ’t Veld, ALDE spokesperson for data protection, said: “This is extremely shocking. Europol was aware of this security incident since September, yet its director decided not to inform the parliament during a joint meeting of the European Parliament and the national Parliaments on Europol scrutiny just two days ago."

"This case proves once again that data protection is not an obstacle to security, but an absolute precondition. It is essential for information exchange and police cooperation."

“This leak damages trust in Europol and trust in information exchange, which is our top priority in the security agenda. Information sharing is essential for security."

The ALDE group calls for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny for Europol, as the group already proposed when amending the new regulation on Europol, which will enter into force in Spring 2017.