Towards an Accountability Regime for an Emerging European Policing Governance

Abstract

Law enforcement cooperation in the European Union (EU) is booming business, as new actors emerge on the scene and inter-institutional working relationships arise between the different governance levels of policing. This dynamic has been given new impetus as a result of the terrorist attacks against the USA on 11 September 2001. These events have provided the EU with a window of opportunity for the adoption of several new measures in the area of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters. This article looks at ways in which an appropriate and measurable accountability system could be developed for an emerging European police governance, thereby taking into account the discussions at EU-level about the review of its administration and the functioning of its institutions. The article analyses the accountability systems which are currently in place for European policing, in particular Europol, by drawing a distinction between internal and external accountability, and by looking at the complementarity between political, legal and citizens' accountability. The article ends by listing a number of current and future desiderata for a consolidated accountability system which develops in line with new police competences and mounting demands for international security. From that point of view, recent initiatives in the field of judicial and democratic control are evaluated. The chapter concludes that in view of the fragmentation of arrangements and recent political developments, the subject of police accountability in Europe should by no means be neglected.

Keywords:

• Europe
• Europol
• Accountability
• Policing
• Governance