Area of Freedom

The present study examines the steps taken since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty in the field of internal security and assesses commitments made in the areas of fundamental rights and civil liberties. The study examines the development of the EU Internal Security Strategy, with special attention paid to fighting terrorism and organised crime. It also investigates the activities of the main EU agencies involved in internal security policies. The study finally sketches out the key challenges lying ahead for EU internal security policies, with particular consideration paid to the role that the European Parliament will be called upon to play.

""V današnjem sodobnem in hitro razvijajočem se svetu je nekaj povsem normalnega, da v relativno kratkem času na dokaj enostaven način prepotujemo velike razdalje in da so nam (vsaj preko svetovnega spleta) željene dobrine dosegljive praktično ves čas. Vendar je to le ena plat globalizacije. Po drugi plati ta »napredek« prinaša tudi številne negativne izkušnje. Ena izmed teh je vsekakor porast čezmejne kriminalitete, ki se ne ozira na meje, narodnosti, vero, prepričanja in vrednote. Na takšno stanje so se organi preiskovanja in pregona odzvali na različne načine. Med drugim so okrepili tudi mednarodno policijsko sodelovanje. Na nivoju Evropske unije tako obstajajo številni instrumenti za boj zoper nadnacionalno kriminaliteto. Sorodni instrumenti obstajajo tudi na območju JV Evrope. Eden izmed teh je Konvencija o policijskem sodelovanju v jugovzhodni Evropi, ki je bila podpisana leta 2006 na Dunaju. Konvencija predstavlja odličen primer regionalnega povezovanja na področju policijskega sodelovanja in se v marsičem lahko smatra za prvi pravi poskus sistematičnega in celovitega urejanja področja policijskega sodelovanja na območju JV Evrope. V nalogi so na podlagi konvencije predstavljeni instrumenti in ukrepi, s pomočjo katerih policijskega organizacije stremijo k preprečevanju raznovrstnih oblik organizirane in čezmejene kriminalitete. Kljub dobro pripravljeni podlagi pa ugotavljamo, da regija zaostaja za Evropsko unijo, še posebej pri operativnem izvajanju teh instrumentov. V zaključku so izpostavljene težave pri implementaciji konvencije in priporočila za prakso.

It is quite normal and fairly simple in today's modern and rapidly developing world to overcome long distances in a relatively short period of time. Also it is normal to have (at least online) all desired amenities available practically 24/7. But this is only one aspect of globalization. On the other hand, this "progress" comes with many negative experiences, one of them being an increased cross-border crime. As such it has no issues with national borders, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs nor values. The law enforcement authorities have responded in various ways. Among others, by strengthening the international police cooperation. At the European Union level, there are numerous police cooperation instruments that represent useful tools in fighting transnational crime. Similar instruments exist in Southeast Europe. One of them is represented by The Police Cooperation Convention in Southeast Europe, signed in 2006 in Vienna. The Convention represents an excellent example of regional police cooperation integration and can in many ways be considered as the first real attempt to systematically and comprehensively regulate the field of police cooperation in the region. Based on the Convention various police instruments and measures are described a disseration, aiming to prevent various forms of organized and cross-border crime. Despite the sound foundation the Convention offers, we find that the region is lagging behind the European Union, especially in the phase of operational implementation of such instruments. In conclusion, the convention's implementation issues are raised and recommendations for practice are provided.""