ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the preceding chapters of this book. The book explores the creation of global data protection rules requires the European Union (EU) to first harmonise its data protection framework within the AFSJ. It examines the increasing synergy between law enforcement and intelligence authorities. Europol started as an intergovernmental organisation, regulated by a convention and with the purpose of supporting Member States' criminal investigations when it was required. The chapterproposes enhancing the role of Europol in cross-border criminal investigations, so as to increase the impact its rules and international agreements could have on EU and non-EU countries. Data exchanges among intelligence services are excluded from both the Europol council decision (ECD) and the future regulation. Current and future security measures need to strike the right balance between data protection and privacy principles. Europol's laws offer strong privacy rules, higher than most data protection laws in the Member States.
