The ENLETS National Contact Points met in Nicosia last week, hosted by the Cyprus Police, to review EU policy developments, assess operational lessons learned, and advance cooperation on technology, artificial intelligence and digital transformation in law enforcement.

Day 1 opened with welcoming remarks from the Cyprus NCPs, followed by strategic updates from the ENLETS Core Group Leader, Patrick Padding, who set the context for the discussions. The opening session addressed the evolving EU policy landscape, progress on EU Critical Communication Systems (EUCCS), and updates from the Technology Interest Groups (TIGs), presented by their respective leaders.

A dedicated ProtectEU workshop explored whether, and how, the new European Internal Security Strategy should guide ENLETS activities, stimulating a constructive exchange on aligning policy ambitions with operational realities. ProtectEU outlines the EU’s overarching approach to internal security, addressing hybrid threats, organised crime, terrorism, cybersecurity, and the resilience of critical infrastructure. It places strong emphasis on enhanced cooperation, lawful access to data, innovation, and the use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. For ENLETS, ProtectEU provides a key policy framework to guide technology priorities, interoperability, and preparedness, making it a central reference for both current and future activities. The session concluded with IANUS presentation about MAESTRO—an integrated C2I platform for military, homeland security, and civil protection missions.

The focus then shifted to operational preparedness, with a case study on the Cyprus wildfires. This session combined a practitioner-led presentation with interactive group discussions, highlighting lessons learned in crisis response, inter-agency coordination, and resilience building. The afternoon continued with a session on AI strategy and generative AI enablers, focusing on how emerging technologies can responsibly support innovation in the public sector.

The day concluded with a discussion on the updated ENLETS Terms of Reference. The revised document defines ENLETS’ mission, governance structure, decision-making processes, and the roles of NCPs, the Core Group, TIG leaders, and partners. It strengthens transparency and accountability, clearly positions ENLETS within the EU internal security ecosystem, and aligns the network with current EU strategies and funding frameworks.

Day 2 continued with thematic presentations on protecting public spaces through novel anti-drone multi-modal data fusion systems, artificial intelligence-based multi-agent collaboration for real-time situational awareness and informed decision-making, and a dedicated discussion on digital transformation. This latter session outlined ENLETS’ shared vision for digital transformation in law enforcement as a long-term strategic effort rather than a purely technical upgrade. It included the establishment of a Technology Interest Group (TIG) on Digital Transformation, identified priority technology domains, and linked digital transformation directly to operational effectiveness, resilience and EU strategic autonomy.

The Nicosia meeting reaffirmed ENLETS’ role in translating EU security priorities into practical cooperation and technology uptake across Member States. Thank you to the Cyprus Police for their warm hosting and practitioner insights. Stay connected with ENLETS and get involved.