Georgian State Security Service Head, Europol Executive Director sign deal on exchange, protection of secret information

Grigol Liluashvili, the Head of the State Security Service of Georgia, and Catherine De Bolle, the Executive Director of Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, on Wednesday signed a deal on exchange and protection of secret information.

The Service said the document was based on an agreement on operational and strategic cooperation signed between Georgia and Europol in 2017, and aimed to create a legal basis for exchange and mutual protection of confidential information between the parties.

The body said the agreement would give the sides an opportunity to further strengthen cooperation in combating crime.

It also noted the Service had carried out a “number of significant activities” for deepening ties with Europol, including the country becoming a member of four Europol counter-terrorist analysis projects and a counter-terrorist liaison group, and added the agreement would also “significantly” expand the existing cooperation between the body and Europol in this regard.

The deal will come into play after its ratification by the Parliament of Georgia.