// 5. EXERCISING THE RULES OR: WHO WATCHES THE WATCHDOG?

The application of data protection rules by Europol is supervised on various levels and throughout the entire information lifecycle by a whole number of stakeholders. Against this background Europol is sometimes referred to as “the most controlled police agency in the world”.

Fijnaut, quoted as per M. Groenleer, "The Autonomy of European Union Agencies, A Comparative Study of Institutional Development", Delft (2009), p. 282.