On 18 September 2024, Judge Tomoko Akane, the President of the International Criminal Court, and Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation – Europol, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on secure communication and a Liaison Agreement at Europol Headquarters in The Hague.
These agreements complement a framework Working Arrangement establishing cooperative relations which was signed between Europol and the ICC on 25 April 2023. The agreements operationalize aspects of the cooperative relations between the ICC and Europol, better enabling the two institutions to enhance their cooperation and encourage the exchange of information, knowledge, experience and expertise.
ICC President Tomoko Akane said: “Our two institutions share a fundamental understanding that international cooperation is key to the pursuit of justice. At this challenging time, the objectives of the Court, including the pursuit of an end to impunity in the context of full respect for the rule of law, can be best achieved in close cooperation and partnership with others. Today, we strengthen this cooperation by adopting frameworks for its practical implementation between our two institutions.”
Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said: “The cooperation between Europol and the ICC is of high interest to both parties in the fight against core international crimes. As law enforcement practitioners and especially for those of us who work in pursuit of international criminal justice, the International Criminal Court is a reference. It is a symbol for the international community efforts to hold accountable those guilty of some of the world’s worst crimes.”
The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.
Europol is the European Union’s Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. It serves as the center for law enforcement cooperation, analytical expertise and criminal intelligence in Europe.
