Spain: Guardia Civil joins Europol
01 September 1998
Following the EU justice and interior ministers' decision, at their meeting in Brussels on May 28, to give EUROPOL responsibilities in combating terrorism, the Spanish government has decided that a Guardia Civil officer should join the EUROPOL strategic planning group along with the police commissioner already appointed. Hitherto, responsibility for external relations in policing matters had been regarded, under the State Security Agencies and Forces Act, as a matter for the National Police. The Basque government had also requested a direct presence in EUROPOL, given that the Ertaintza (the autonomous region's police force) has anti-terrorist responsibilities, but the Spanish interior ministry rejected the request.