05 October 2022
The Hague, Netherlands - Under the directives of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, the Ministry of Interior of the State of Qatar and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) signed a Working Arrangement for security cooperation and to prevent and combat international organised crime.
Major General Khalifa Nasr Al-Nasr, Director of the Human Resources Department at the Ministry of Interior, signed the agreement on behalf of the State of Qatar, while Catherine De Bolle, Executive Director of Europol signed on behalf of Europol.
The Working Arrangement aims to enhance security cooperation between the State of Qatar and the European Union (EU) Member States through a secure system for exchanging information between the various parties. The system will link the State of Qatar to law enforcement agencies in the EU Member States and many other countries and organisations related to the EU.
The agreement also aims to strengthen cooperation between the parties to serve common interests to achieve the greatest degree of collaboration to ensure effective contribution in combating all forms of crime while raising the efficiency of security services. It will also facilitate the exchange of information, security and technical expertise to fight crime.
The agreement stipulates that the two parties would work to enhance cooperation in developing advanced systems and provide mutual assistance to confront cross-border crimes. It also demands cooperation and coordination between them to maintain security and combat crimes in general.
The areas of cooperation include the exchange of specialised expertise, public reports, analysis results at strategic levels, participation in training programs, and providing advice and support in criminal investigation operations.
Major General Khalifa Nasr Al-Nasr said: "This level of cooperation will play an essential role in setting priorities when dealing with cross-border crimes that affect both the EU and the State of Qatar. This historic development comes at an important time and will result in the exchange of security expertise between stakeholders in the State of Qatar and the member states of Europol."
"In a global framework, no country can operate in a vacuum. Qatar is committed to identifying and further enhancing areas of cooperation with the world's foremost law enforcement organisation. Europol's global tools and international law enforcement networks will further support our national and regional security," said Major General Khalifa Nasr Al-Nasr, Director of the Human Resources Department at the Ministry of Interior, Qatar.
"Today marks the start of a fruitful collaboration between the law enforcement authorities of Qatar and their counterparts in the European Union. Europol is looking forward to host a Qatari liaison officer in its Headquarters in The Hague, further enabling a trustful flow of information in our collective fight against organised crime and terrorism.", said Catherine de Bolle, Europol's Executive Director.
The Working Arrangement will also allow the State of Qatar to appoint liaison officers to work at Europol's headquarters in the Netherlands. The deal allows the country to be part of a unique security community that includes many liaison offices from law enforcement agencies in more than 40 countries worldwide.
The State of Qatar spearheaded international efforts to combat organised crime and related crimes as it hosted the Thirteenth Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2015. The Crime Congress adopted the Doha Declaration as a comprehensive and integrated action plan for crime prevention and criminal justice.
Further, Qatar funded the Doha Declaration Global Programme, an initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to assist countries in implementing the recommendations of the Doha Declaration, directly related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
The Doha Declaration affirmed that sustainable development and the rule of law are closely interrelated and reinforce each other. It also supported efforts to integrate crime prevention and criminal justice into the broader UN agenda to address social and economic challenges and promote the rule of law at the national and international levels.
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