Study to support an evaluation of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL): Final report

This is the final report of the study to support the European Commission’s evaluation of the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL). The objectives were to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value of CEPOL between 2015 and 2020 following the introduction of CEPOL’s new legal basis in 2016 via Regulation 2015/2219. The findings are based on a documentary review and fieldwork (public consultation, surveys, interviews, virtual ‘visits’ to CEPOL and workshops). The study finds CEPOL’s objectives relevant to the needs and challenges of the EU and its Member States. CEPOL’s actions and activities helped improve the ability of Member States to train their law enforcement officials compared to what could have been achieved at the national level and are widely recognised for building trust and facilitating cooperation among law enforcement services. Areas for CEPOL’s improvement include reaching more of its target population, enhancing the coordination between stakeholders offering law enforcement training in the EU, developing and quality assuring outsourced training activities, appropriately selecting participants and enhancing its cybercrime offering. CEPOL’s governance may be improved by redressing representation and engagement issues on the Management Board and restoring a positive corporate culture. The key findings from this study inform a series of recommendations for the Commission’s consideration in their evaluation of the Agency.