Internal security: challenges for the Europe of the XXIst century

Abstract

This article presents actual problems, related to internal security, which occur in the EU in the process of globalisation in the XXI st century. These long-existing practices of information sharing and transnational police cooperation have accelerated in recent decades. Information travels instantaneously in cyberspace; speedy transportation brings the most distant and exotic lands within the reach of the intrepid traveller, including police officials; the world’s economy and financial system are intricately integrated and respond to butterfly disturbances in any part of the globe; crime and insecurity are not limited by borders. Globalisation affects people’s lives in many states; the most important needs of each person are needs for security and welfare. Economic and political integration, the European Union being the most advanced example, have necessitated a concomitant integration, harmonisation and cooperation among laws, policies and agencies. In the EU, this now means working in an increasingly borderless Schengen area. This article aims to reveal the major threats emerging in internal security and seeks a proposal, from the law enforcement authorities’ activities of overall coordination, priority areas of cooperation discussed, and international communication