Cyprus MPs have concluded their participation in the 17th meeting of Europol’s joint House scrutiny group in Brussels, it was reported on Wednesday.

The delegation was led by Demetris Demetriou and included Nicos Kettiros and Elias Myrianthous.

During the discussions on Europol’s future, Demetriou stressed that any expansion of Europol’s powers should be measured by its ability to speed up the arrest of criminals while remaining lawful and proportionate.

He also asked for details on the additional powers that may be needed and called for safeguards, including a stronger role for the European data protection supervisor and national parliaments in oversight.

Demetriou raised concerns about the level of training of law enforcement across EU member states.

He asked how authorities are prepared to tackle organised environmental crime and bring such cases to justice, highlighting Cyprus’ interest in effective enforcement.

Myrianthous focused on personal data protection and transparency. He said safeguarding citizens’ data is a matter of democracy and trust, and called on Europol to ensure full accountability.

He also asked about the EU directive on irregular migration and the recent agreement strengthening Europol’s role in combating human trafficking, seeking clarification on how the legality and proportionality of actions will be ensured.

The MPs also questioned Europol officials on emerging challenges. Demetriou asked deputy executive director Jurgen Ebner about potential risks from artificial intelligence and how the advisory forum will manage data access while respecting fundamental rights.

Kettiros raised Cyprus-specific concerns about environmental crime. He noted that hundreds of catalytic converters stolen in Cyprus last year, containing metals such as platinum and palladium, ended up in Germany.

He asked how Europol is addressing this organised crime. Deputy executive director Jean-Philippe Lecouffe replied that the issue requires further investigation.