Law enforcement in Europe

Greece ranks 18th in the European Union in terms of suspect money transactions, according to the results of a study by Europol, the European Union's Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation. 

Greece ranked behind the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, where 65 percent of so-called suspect transactions in the EU were recorded.

Europol's head is calling for tighter controls after an analysis found money laundering goes mostly uninvestigated, despite banks alerting police to record numbers of suspicious transactions. 

European banks flagged almost one million transactions suspected of laundering money in 2014, the latest year for which data is available, the law enforcement agency said on Sept. 5. 

Police on the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese on Friday detained a 31-year-old Belgian national who is wanted by Europol for arson, manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

French authorities had issued a European warrant for his arrest last month in connection with a series of offenses he is alleged to have committed on July 14 in France.

European holidaymakers jetting off to popular summer destinations are experiencing long queues at airports after the introduction of tighter security checks, Financial Times reports.

Airline passengers have faced queues of up to four hours at European airports, including Palma de Mallorca, Madrid, Lisbon, Milan and Paris-Orly.

Greece has submitted a request, the second in the last four months, to be exempt from the obligation of enforcing systematic checks on its borders, Kathimerini understands.

A large-scale joint investigation, led by the Spanish National Police  in cooperation with the Bulgarian police, and supported by Europol and Eurojust has resulted in the dismantlement of an international organised crime group involved in trafficking young Bulgarian women to Spain for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Officials from Turkey and the European Union will meet June 13 in Brussels for a political dialogue meeting to review the current status of issues on their mutual agenda and to discuss ways of moving forward after a period of tension.

The discussions will set the stage for higher-level gatherings at the ministerial level for political, energy, and economy dialogue meetings. 

One of Austria's top fugitives - wanted for several cases of burglary, theft and severe violence - has been arrested in Kosovo, Europol has announced.

The arrest took place on Tuesday, the organization said.

Following Monday's terrorist attack in Manchester, England, which killed 22 people at a pop concert, Croatian media are speculating that tighter security checks will be reintroduced on the external border of the EU's passport-free Schengen Area, which separates Croatia and Slovenia.

''It is highly likely for Bulgaria to become part of the Schengen area after a successful presidency of the EU Council'', Tsvetan Tsvetanov, deputy chairman of Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party and MP, said, Focus News Agency reported.
 According to Tsvetanov, the issue has become a political one.