Europol and the European Labour Authority have signed a Working Arrangement to strengthen cooperation against labour exploitation, human trafficking, fraud and related forms of serious and organised crime. The agreement was announced on Sept. 2, 2026. The arrangement establishes a framework for exchanging strategic information and developing joint areas of cooperation. It formalises collaboration that has already taken place through the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats, known as EMPACT. Europol Acting Executive Director Jürgen Ebner said labour exploitation can generate significant profits for organised crime groups, which may use legitimate businesses to conceal criminal activity. He said closer cooperation with the labour authority would help identify criminal networks and improve cross-border intelligence sharing. ELA Executive Director Cosmin Boiangiu said the agreement marks a more structured phase of cooperation and would support national authorities, fair labour mobility and efforts to combat cross-border exploitation and fraud. The agencies said labour exploitation is frequently under-reported and may initially appear to be a labour-law violation, allowing signs of trafficking or organised crime to go undetected. They said closer links with national labour inspectorates and improved access to actionable information would help authorities identify victims and target wider criminal structures. Post navigation Sality Botnet Disrupted After Two Decades