12 April 2024
 

SIENA expands to encompass new countries, enriching the intelligence picture of criminal activities affecting the EU.

As of today, over 3 000 law enforcement authorities from more than 70 countries and international entities are connected to Europol’s secure information exchange channel, known as SIENA (‘Secure Information Exchange Network Application’). 

The platform enables the swift exchange of operational and strategic information among Europol, EU Member States and partner countries with which Europol has cooperation agreements or working arrangements. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

In a world where threats can materialise at a moment’s notice, and criminals operate across borders with unprecedented speed and sophistication, the timely exchange of information facilitated by SIENA is essential for law enforcement at local, national and international levels to respond swiftly and decisively.

In 2023, the number of messages exchanged via SIENA grew to a historical high of 1.79 million, reflecting the role of SIENA as the preferred European communication channel for law enforcement. That same year, over 151 000 cases were initiated via SIENA. The most commonly indicated crime areas were drug trafficking, fraud and illegal immigration. The expansion of SIENA to encompass more countries will ultimately benefit European citizens, as the intelligence picture of criminal threats affecting the European Union will be significantly enriched the more law enforcement authorities are connected.

Europol’s Deputy Executive Director for Capabilities, Andrei Linta, stated: “One of Europol’s strategic priorities is to continue to provide Member States with access to a growing number of partners and sources of information. SIENA is at the core of these efforts. In an increasingly globalised world, access to real-time information from all corners of the EU and beyond enables law enforcement authorities to have a more comprehensive picture of the criminal activities, allowing them to protect their communities more effectively.”

In May 2023, SIENA received a “legislative home” in the shape of the Directive 2023/977 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the exchange of information between the law enforcement authorities of Member States (IED), which requested that all competent law enforcement authorities that might be involved in exchanges of information should be directly connected to SIENA.

For more detailed information see: Newsroom | Europol (europa.eu)