EMPACT operates in four-year cycles. Every four years, Europol produces the European Union Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU SOCTA), based on input provided by Member States and other stakeholders, including Eurojust. The EU SOCTA iden­tifies the major criminal threats affecting the Europe­an Union and sets out potential crime priorities.

The EU SOCTA is then used by the European Commission and the Presidency of the Council of the European Union to advise Justice and Home Affairs ministers so they adopt the EU crime priorities being fought by EMPACT over the following four years. A multi-annual strategic plan and corresponding goals are drawn up based on these key priorities to form the basis of Operational Action Plans (OAPs).

For each OAP, so-called drivers and co-drivers are appointed who oversee the planning with assistance from national EMPACT coordinators (NECs). Concrete actions are organised for the particular targeted crime areas, leading to joint operational actions days or weeks. The process is constantly monitored and fully evaluated at the end of each cycle.

Funding is available to assist in drawing up Operational Action Plans and to support the preparations for setting up strategic coordination structures.

Within the OAPs, the EU Member States are the central actors, assisted by Eurojust and Europol through operational, logistical and financial support (see also tab Judicial dimension). The NECs align their Member State’s involvement and contributions to all OAPs. They also keep their national authorities regularly informed and ensure the implementation of decisions and recommendations by the Council’s Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI). Furthermore, NECs coordinate the allocation of required human and financial resources for OAPs.

The key stages of EMPACT:

1. Analysis of current and future threats (EU SOCTA)
2. Strategic planning based on SOCTA findings and priorities identified
3. Operational actions based on goals identified in strategic plans
4. Evaluation of actions undertaken

Current EMPACT cycle (January 2022 - December 2025)

For each four-year cycle, priority crime areas are determined by the Council. This is based on the EU SOCTA. For the 2022-2025 cycle, the following key areas were identified for priority action:

• High-risk criminal networks
• Cyberattacks
• Trafficking in human beings
• Child sexual exploitation
• Migrant smuggling
• Drug trafficking
• Fraud, economic and financial crimes
• Organised property crime
• Environmental crime
• Firearms trafficking

In addition to these priorities, the production and provision of fraudulent and false documents will be addressed as a common horizontal strategic goal, since it is a key enabler for many crimes.

Further details of the 2022-2025 cycle can be found in the Council document Conclusions on the permanent continuation of the EU Policy Cycle for organised and serious international crime: EMPACT 2022+. Additionally, the European Commission has published plans to make EMPACT the EU flagship instrument to fight organised and serious international crime.