EU considering new cybercrime agency

The new agency could be part of Europol

European Commission is considering setting up a new EU agency to tackle cybercrime

The European Commission (EC) is considering setting up a new EU agency to tackle cybercrime. The new agency could be part of the European police office Europol, EU ministers have said.

According to tech website, Outlaw.com, the council of ministers has asked the EC to look at its agreed cybercrime objectives and decide whether a new centralised agency is a better way of achieving those than the current inter-agency co-operation.

These objectives would include raising the standard of specialisation of investigators, prosecutors, judges and forensic staff. It would also encourage information sharing between countries’ police forces and harmonise approaches taken to fighting cybercrime across the EU.

"This feasibility study should consider, in particular, the aim, scope and possible financing of the centre and whether it should be located at Europol," said a document relating to the proposal.

The European Union already has a centre for research into cybercrime but it is an information service rather than a crime fighting agency. The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA), based in Greece, investigates and classifies information security threats and provides advice on them.