EU Commission to propose Europol mandate overhaul with doubled budget and expanded powers despite shadow IT controversy (euobserver.com)

• Europol maintained a parallel shadow IT database outside legal framework, 420 times larger than official database.
• European Commission to propose mandate overhaul on 24 June 2026, doubling budget to €444m annually by 2034 and expanding powers.
• Previous illegal data practices by Europol were legalised by EU in 2022 instead of facing consequences.

"An opinion article by EDRi staff reveals Europol maintained a shadow IT database 420 times larger than its official system, operating outside legal safeguards. Despite this, the European Commission will propose on 24 June 2026 to double Europol's annual budget to €444m by 2034, expand staff, and weaken data protection oversight. This follows a pattern where previous illegal data practices were legalised by EU lawmakers in 2022 rather than penalised."