Article 5

Europol shall have the following principal tasks: to collect, store, process, analyse and exchange information and intelligence; to notify the competent authorities of the Member States without delay via the national unit referred to in Article 8 of information concerning them and of any connections identified between criminal offences; to aid investigations in the Member States, in particular by forwarding all relevant information to the national units; to ask the competent authorities of the Member States concerned to initiate, conduct or coordinate investigations and to suggest the setting up of joint investigation teams in specific cases; to provide intelligence and analytical support to Member States in connection with major international events; to prepare threat assessments, strategic analyses and general situation reports relating to its objective, including organised crime threat assessments. The tasks referred to in paragraph 1 shall include providing support to Member States in their tasks of gathering and analysing information from the Internet in order to assist in the identification of criminal activities facilitated by or committed using the Internet. Europol shall have the following additional tasks: to develop specialist knowledge of the investigative procedures of the competent authorities of the Member States and to provide advice on investigations; to provide strategic intelligence to assist and promote the efficient and effective use of the resources available at national and Union level for operational activities and the support of such activities. Additionally, in the context of its objective under Article 3, Europol may, in accordance with the staffing and budgetary resources at its disposal and within the limits set by the Management Board, assist Member States through support, advice and research in the following areas: the training of members of their competent authorities, where appropriate in cooperation with the European Police College; the organisation and equipment of those authorities by facilitating the provision of technical support between the Member States; crime prevention methods; technical and forensic methods and analysis, and investigative procedures. Europol shall also act as the Central Office for combating euro counterfeiting in accordance with Council Decision 2005/511/JHA of 12 July 2005 on protecting the euro against counterfeiting, by designating Europol as the Central Office for combating euro counterfeiting OJ L 185, 16.7.2005, p. 35. . Europol may also encourage the coordination of measures carried out in order to fight euro counterfeiting by the competent authorities of the Member States or in the context of joint investigation teams, where appropriate in liaison with Union entities and third States’ bodies. Upon request, Europol may financially support investigations of euro counterfeiting.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-01 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.