Jürgen Ebner selected as new Europol Executive Director

EU ambassadors have selected Jürgen Ebner to become the next Executive Director of Europol. Ebner, a former official with Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), currently serves as Europol’s Deputy Executive Director for Management and has been acting as the interim director since May following the expiration of Katrin De Bol’s mandate.

Following the decision by the Council, Ebner must now appear before the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) for a non-binding opinion. The EU Council will then proceed with the official appointment. Ebner was chosen from three finalists, which included Alicia Mallo of the Spanish police and Linas Pernavas of the Lithuanian anti-corruption agency.

His appointment comes as the European Commission proposes increasing Europol’s resources, role, and technological capabilities to better address organized crime, cyberattacks, and hybrid threats.