CSD Policy Brief No. 14: Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement along Bulgaria's Borders: the Impact of EU Accession
CSD Policy Brief No. 14: Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement along Bulgaria's Borders: the Impact of EU Accession

Author(s): Author Not Specified
Subject(s): Law on Economics, EU-Accession / EU-DEvelopment
Published by: Център за изследване на демокрацията
Summary/Abstract: Enhanced criminal justice and improved cross-border cooperation between judicial and law enforcement authorities are essential for the EU and its Member States in order to effectively respond to the increasing threat of cross-border criminality. // The last two EU enlargements resulted in significant changes in the Union’s external borders. Some of the countries that used to have such borders (like Germany and Austria) are now neighbors to other EU Member States. Their responsibilities regarding the security at the external borders are gradually transferred to new Member States which have become the outermost countries of the Union. The duties of these countries on protecting the external borders are yet to increase substantially. // Further to Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, the country's frontiers with Turkey, Macedonia and Serbia, as well as its Black Sea border, have become external borders of the EU. Hence, border crossing-related criminal offences and customs violations no longer represent a problem of Bulgarian national security alone: they have turned into a problem of EU security. Many crimes and customs violations involve organized criminal groups and breed genuine corruption threats to customs authorities, border police, investigative police officers, and magistrates. Such acts fall within the jurisdiction of courts and prosecution offices at different levels and are inquired into by investigative police officers whose capacity still fails to match their wider responsibilities.

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