• Thursday, February 06,2025

A press release issued after First meeting of the GCC-European Directors General of Criminal Investigations

On 5-6 February 2025, senior law enforcement officials from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, EU Member States, GCCPOL and Europol met in Abu Dhabi for the first meeting of the General Directors of Criminal Investigations and Intelligence. Discussions focused on tackling shared security threats, including cybercrime, financial crime, money laundering, online child exploitation, human trafficking, and environmental crimes.
The meeting provided an opportunity for representatives from both regions to exchange expertise and knowledge on cross-border security challenges. Participants also shared insights on emerging crime trends, working towards a more effective response to transnational crime.

GCCPOL and Europol have been working together since signing a Letter of Intent on 14 July 2017 to enhance collaboration against organised crime and terrorism. This meeting marked another step in that partnership, reinforcing joint efforts to disrupt transnational criminal networks and protect communities from criminal activity.


To this end, GCCPOL and Europol reaffirmed their intention under the Letter of Intent to enhance cooperation by:

1. Exploring opportunities to exchange best practices and experience in the various areas of combating crime.

2. Supporting the capacity building for cooperation and information exchange among the law enforcement authorities of the GCC countries and EU Member States.

3. Fostering a strengthened cooperation among the GCC countries and EU Member States in the area of internal security.

By improving cross-border collaboration, GCCPOL and Europol aim to tackle criminal threats more effectively across both regions.