Euro: designating Europol as the Central Office for combating counterfeiting. Initiative Germany, Spain, France, Italy, United Kingdom

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Agustín DIAZ DE MERA GARCIA CONSUEGRA (EPP-ED, Spain) and approved the initiative subject to some amendments:

- Parliament emphasised through changes to the recitals and operative clauses that the powers assigned to Europol for the purpose of protecting the euro against counterfeiting within the framework of the Geneva Convention must be exercised alongside those of the national central offices of the Member States and in close cooperation with those offices;

- it also stated that Europol will act as the European Union’s central office for action to combat euro counterfeiting for the purposes of the Geneva Convention - a task which it will perform alongside and in close cooperation with the national central offices of the Member States.

Members deleted previous references to Europol acting in this capacity only for those Member States that are party to the Geneva Convention, and they similarly deleted the obligation placed in the text for new Member States to become parties to the Convention. The text now states that Europol shall act for all Member States.