The EU’s fight against today’s organised crime: an essential challenge… but a difficult one

The fight against organised crime generally requires a high degree of cooperation between states. In the case of the European Union, whose internal space is borderless on almost every issue, this level of cooperation is unavoidable. Being aware of this, member states have made efforts to move forward in this fight together. The creation of new cooperation tools and the use of certain agencies have been important steps, but are far from enough. To make progress on this issue, it is essential to overcome the distrust grown out of defending a sovereignty that is, today, more imaginary than real and to bring about greater harmonisation of security standards, protection of fundamental rights and guarantees of the rule of law. The resulting increase in mutual trust is crucial for more effective joint action against this type of crime.

Key words: EU, organised crime, cross-border crime, cooperation, European Agenda on Security

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