| European Commission |
| EuroCOP representatives meet Commissioner Schmit The EuroCOP President and Vice-Presidents met Commissioner Nicolas Schmit, responsible for Jobs and Social Rights, in Luxembourg on 9 October. The group discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on police officers, including the need to classify COVID-19 as an occupational disease, and the need for strong social rights for police officers. |
| Council |
| Interior ministers debate police cooperation EU Interior Ministers discussed the need for secure communication channels for both policymakers and police officers, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, at an informal meeting this week. The German Presidency of the Council is proposing a European Police Partnership to improve police cooperation at EU level. Ministers discussed the need to apply AI to data flows, to reinforce operational cooperation between police forces, and to build active partnerships with third countries, such as the UK.Under current EU law, third countries must ensure ‘adequate’ levels of data protection to enable close cooperation with the EU, but the European Commission has not yet issued an adequacy decision in the area of law enforcement for any third country. |
| National updates |
| · Belgium: Community policing a priority for new government (link)
· Germany: Report finds no structural right-wing extremism within police force (link) · Netherlands: Police need €600 million to tackle cybercrime (link) · Norway: Significant increase for police force in 2021 state budget (link) · Poland: ‘Constructive’ talks taking place on Istanbul Convention (link) · Spain (Catalonia): Catalan government protocol to prevent ethnic bias in police identifications (link) · Sweden: An additional SEK 360 million for increased police salaries (link) · UK: Parliamentary Committee says no-deal Brexit risks increase in terrorism (link) |
| Other news |
| ETUC: Gender pay gap will last until 2104 without action The current of pace of change means that the EU’s gender pay gap will not be eliminated until the next century, according to ETUC research (link). The ETUC has written to Commission President von der Leyen seeking clarity on why the Commission has delayed on delivering binding pay transparency measures (link).Europol: COVID-19 sparks growth in cybercrime The 2020 cybercrime report from Europol shows that COVID-19 has enhanced existing cybercrime threats as Europeans turned to the internet more than ever before (link). The 8th INTERPOL-Europol cybercrime conference, which took place on 6 October, underlined the need to increase public sector partnerships in the face of increasing cyber threats (link). Trade unions launch work-related stress campaign |
| Look ahead |
| – 14 & 21 October: ENISA/Europol Internet of Things Security Conference (registration link)
– 15 October: European Parliament Employment and Social Affairs Committee meets (link) – 15 October: European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs meets (link). – 15-16 October: CoE Conference of INGOs – online session (link) – 16 October: Commissioner Ylva Johansson gives a presentation at a webinar on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, hosted by the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) (link) – 19 – 23 October: European Week of Health & Safety at Work (link) |