European Police Cooperation In The Future Legal Framework Of The European Union

This chapter evaluates the potential for police cooperation and the availability of proper accountability and democratic safeguards within the future legal framework of the European Union (EU). It focuses on the changes and possibilities included in the Lisbon Treaty as well as on the ideas contained in the two Future Group reports regarding the Third Pillar, the report of the Future Group on Home Affairs Policy and that of the Future Group on Justice. The chapter also evaluates the Treaty's reshaped general legal framework and its impact on police cooperation prior to assessing the specific provisions on police cooperation contained in Title V Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The report of the Future Group on Home Affairs Policy identifies deepening police cooperation as an essential task, especially through information sharing, interoperability of files, common training programmes and exchange networks as well as through simplified cooperation procedures. Keywords: European police cooperation; European Union (EU); Lisbon; TFEU