Since the early 1990s, cross-border police and judicial cooperation has become a very important domain of the European Union. The Lisbon Treaty – if accepted by all the Member States – will certainly be a major stimulus to its further development in the field of internal security as well as in the field of external policy. In any event, the recent proposal for a new third comprehensive policy programme with regard to the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice – the so-called Stockholm Programme – foreshadows some of the changes the Brussels institutions and the Member States would like to embrace in the coming years. This book contains the contributions of scholars and practitioners to a conference on the future of police and judicial cooperation in the European Union that took place in November 2008 at Tilburg University. Referring to what has been achieved in this domain since the Treaty of Maastricht, these papers not only assess the proposals that have been put forward in successive policy documents relating to the Stockholm Programme, but they also pinpoint to the ongoing problems in the theory and practice of police and judicial cooperation within the European Union and to the ways in which these questions could best be solved.

This book looks at the past, present and possible future relationship between the EU and the UK in the fields of law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. It examines successively the EU-UK relationship prior to 1 February 2020; the relationship during the transition period; the relationship after the end of the transition period. The book analyses the relevant provisions of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Political Declaration, of the EU and UK negotiating mandates and draft legal texts, and the state of play of the negotiations. It looks at the possible forms that the future cooperation can take and the likely areas, which might be covered, such as cooperation with Europol and Eurojust; criminal records; DNA, dactyloscopic and vehicle registration data; passenger name records; surrender procedures, and mutual legal assistance. It also analyses the overarching issues of protection of personal data and the future role of the Court of Justice of the EU. Finally, this book puts forward some ideas on the possible impact of Brexit on security cooperation within wider Europe and on the possible emergence in future of a European Security Union within wider Europe. The volume is aimed at practitioners and academics in European Studies, International Relations, and Law.

In the European Union, international cooperation in criminal matters has grown exponentially over the past few decades. Importantly, there are a wide variety of authorities involved therein, rendering the traditional distinction between police and judicial cooperation as outdated. Furthermore, its rapid growth exposed this policy field to inconsistencies and incoherence. Additionally, despite the wave of new legislation, important lacunae can be identified, setting important challenges for the future. The combination of these issues clarifies the title of this book: there is a pressing need to rethink international cooperation in criminal matters. In answer to a call from the European Commission, the contributors of this book have designed a comprehensive methodological framework to review the entirety of international cooperation in criminal matters, combining desktop reviews, expert consultations, Member State questionnaires, and focus group meetings in each of the Member States to obtain a comprehensive overview of the currently experienced obstacles and future policy options that are both needed and feasible. Over 150 individuals from different backgrounds contributed to the study, including academics, lawyers, policy makers, police, customs, intelligence services, prosecution, judiciary, correctional authorities, Ministries of Justice, and Home Affairs. The book provides an overview of the research findings and the recommendations formulated. These findings include, but are not limited to: (1) a helicopter view on cooperation with criminal justice finality, (2) a clear demarcation of the role of the judicial authorities, (3) a comprehensive review of refusal grounds, including proportionality and capacity concerns, (4) an assessment of gaps in the current body of instruments regulating international cooperation in criminal matters and possible remedies thereto, (5) a well-considered further development of Eurojust, and (6) ensuring EU wide effect of mere domestic actions. This book represents the first overall analysis of the entirety of international cooperation in criminal matters in the EU. As essential reading, it is an analysis that moves beyond the actors, bringing logic back, footed in reality. (Series: Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy [IRCP] - No. 42)

One of the most dynamic areas of EU law since the great changes brought to the EU constitutional order by the Amsterdam Treaty in 1999 has been cooperation in the fields of policing and criminal justice. Both fields have already been the subject of substantial legislative effort in the EU and an increasing amount of judicial activity in the European Court of Justice. In 2007 - after the Constitutional Treaty of 2004 failed - the new Reform Treaty planned very substantive changes to these policies. Bringing together a wide-ranging set of topics and contributors, this book enables readers to understand these changes by examining three key questions: how did we get to the Reform Treaty; what have been - and still are - the key struggles in competence; and how do the changes fit into the transformation of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters in the EU?

International policing is a neglected area of interest. As the world gets smaller due to political, economic, social and technological developments, an evident need arises to understand the implications of (inter)national policing. On both national and international levels, policing is undergoing drastic changes as it continuously adapts itself to changes in society and new forms of crime. This collection of papers addresses two central themes - community policing and organisational crime - and brings together insights and experiences on crime, law enforcement and cooperation from both the academic and the professional policing world. Moreover, the various contributions derive from different countries (both the East and the West) and different institutions such as the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

When we consider the ideal of the `family' of nations implied by the European Union, it seems unnatural to deal with the question of where Europe's borders lie. Yet the question is urgently raised by grave issues of internal and external security. As the European Union's imminent eastward and southern expansion becomes reality--side by side with the evolving new emphasis on security spawned by the events of September 11, 2001--we must be sure that the Schengen norms remain viable. It is also crucial to take full account of the impact of the enlarged European Union on the non-candidate countries of Eastern Europe. This important book takes the position that trust is the essential ingredient. Fourteen distinguished authors reveal various ways of achieving a level of trust among the members of the enlarged European Union adequate to the need for full freedom, security, and justice. The contexts in which trust must be established include police and judicial cooperation; the fight against terrorism, organized crime, and human trafficking: the latent threats to freedom of movement posed by national responses to increased immigration; and the transparent extension of EU Justice and Home Affairs measures to the candidate countries. The authors include political actors, policymakers, advisers, experts, and researchers from all parts of Europe. Their individual and collective contributions, in each case built solidly on thorough analysis of the relevant issues, bring a wide range of profound and wide-reaching insights to a vital subject. The book is of great significance not only for those charged with law enforcement and security, but also to all academics and policymakers concerned with the future of Europe.