LIBE backs new Europol Regulation despite data protection and discrimination warnings
LIBE backed a new Europol Regulation expanding data and biometric powers under the ‘Facilitators Package’, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups ahead of a final plenary vote this month.
The European Parliament’s civil liberties committee (LIBE) voted to endorse a new Europol Regulation, part of the ‘Facilitators Package’, by 59–10 with four abstentions.
Rights groups and the European Data Protection Supervisor had urged MEPs to reject the proposal, arguing the law fuels discrimination and grants Europol and Frontex unprecedented surveillance capabilities with insufficient oversight.
If approved in plenary later this month, the reform would grant Europol broader powers to collect, process and share data, including biometrics such as facial recognition, and enable exchanges with non-EU states.
Campaigners note the proposal advanced without an impact assessment, contrary to the Commission’s Better Regulation guidance.
Civil society groups warn that the changes risk normalising surveillance in migration management. Access Now’s Caterina Rodelli said MEPs had ‘greenlighted the European Commission’s long-term plan to turn Europe into a digital police state’. At the same time, Equinox’s Sarah Chander called the vote proof the EU has ‘abandoned’ humane, evidence-based policy.
EDRi’s Chloé Berthélémy said the reform legitimises ‘unaccountable and opaque data practices’, creating a ‘data black hole’ that undermines rights and the rule of law. More than 120 organisations called on MEPs to reject the text, arguing it is ‘unlawful, unsafe, and unsubstantiated’.
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