WSPÓŁPRACA POLICYJNA PAŃSTW CZŁONKOWSKICH UNII EUROPEJSKIEJ W ZWALCZANIU PRZESTĘPCZOŚCI ZORGANIZOWANEJ
POLICE CO-OPERATION OF MEMBER-STATES OF EUROPEAN UNION IN FIGHTING ORGANIZED CRIME

Summary/Abstract: An idea of integration, understood as an advancing process of co-operation of European states on socio-economic levels, leads to a political involvement of states into development of institutions and procedures whose purpose is to provide general security internationally. Another element of this area of co-operation is fighting organized crime whose escalation occurred in the 20th century. The fact that the definition of organized crime itself has many aspects and is changeable makes it a controversial issue both in the domestic law and in the largely understood international law. Thus, the states aim at creating, both globally and regionally, a uniform definition. Tightening of the international co-operation in criminal cases is a pre-requisite for realization of procedures and reaction means to globalization of crime. For a few dozen years, the European Union has been attempting to form a legal framework for co-operation of both courts and police forces in criminal cases. Starting from the informal structures of TREVI, through the so-called acquis Schengen, until coming into force of the Treaty on the European Union, which gave rise to the institutionalized co-operation of member-states in fighting organized crime. Some structures coming into being within the police co-operation of European states, such as Europol, the Police Chiefs Task Force, or CEPOL, changed the position of a member-state in possibility of confronting their forces with the transnational criminal reality. In the face of more frequently occurring negative effects of opening borders between the EU member-states, tightening of co-operation between individual police forces became a necessity, but also a manifestation of realization of the European standards for protection of human rights, freedom, democracy, and public security.

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