Three top police officials have been shortlisted to take on the top job of executive director at Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, according to four people familiar with the selection process.

The list includes Jürgen Ebner, deputy director general and current acting director at Europol; Alicia Malo, the head of international cooperation at Spain’s national police force; and Linas Pernavas, director of Lithuania’s main anti-corruption law enforcement agency and an avid bodybuilder (his physique has drawn comparisons to actor and muscleman Jean-Claude Van Damme).

The European Commission on Wednesday unveiled plans to strengthen its law enforcement agency, which is based in The Hague, as the bloc seeks a tougher response to threats ranging from cyberattacks to hybrid aggression previously linked to Russia-backed actors.

The next executive director will succeed Catherine De Bolle, a Belgian top police official who has led the agency since 2018.

During De Bolle’s two terms in office Europol grew its tech capabilities and helped run groundbreaking law enforcement operations such as the crackdowns on encrypted comms networks Sky ECC in 2021 and EncroChat in 2020.

But its digital policing powers also drew scrutiny: The agency has repeatedly clashed with the EU’s in-house data protection supervisor over the privacy risks of how it accesses and manages data.

Separately, POLITICO in 2024 revealed that the agency had suffered a major internal data breach after personnel files containing information on Europol’s top management ended up on the streets of The Hague.

Ebner, originally from Germany, serves as deputy executive director of the agency’s governance directorate and was widely regarded as De Bolle’s right-hand man.

Malo looks after Spanish police personnel serving abroad and coordinates international work with Interpol and Europol.

Pernavas previously served as a special police attaché to the United Kingdom and in his spare time competes in bodybuilding championships. His candidacy would give Lithuania a rare shot at one of the EU’s top agency posts.

Pernavas, who started his career as a police officer in the eastern city of Ignalina, told POLITICO he had applied for the job but could not comment on the shortlist or on the process itself since the selection process was ongoing.

Ebner and Malo did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Europol said the agency was “not in a position to communicate or confirm names,” adding that “we anticipate that the shortlisted names will be shared with the Council soon, and they will be made public following this.”

The European Parliament will draft a formal notice of advice on the appointment; the final decision on who gets the job belongs to EU member countries in the Council.

Ellen O’Regan contributed reporting.

This article was updated to include a comment from Europol.

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