Border Management in Transformation Transnational Threats and Security Policies of European States

Abstract

In the 21st century, along with the process of globalisation, a constantly evolving security environment creates new dimensions of threats and challenges to security and stability of a trans-national nature. This seeks for comprehensive, multidimensional, collective and well-coordinated responses. The United Nations, European Union, Commonwealth of Independent States, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other international organisations are able to really contribute in developing cooperative and coordinated responses to these threats by relying on its broad membership and profound expertise and experience. This work looked into the processes of changes and renewals of border control and border management standards in relation to strategic security management during the past 25 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and the immense challenges in nation-building in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The abolition of border controls within the Schengen area and simultaneous introduction of necessary compensatory measures was an additional topic. In this work it has been possible to create a comprehensive synopsis of the extent to which the EU and international organisations were able to use their influence in the modernisation and/or creation of state law enforcement agencies for ensuring effective border control, border surveillance and border management in line with the EU acquis communautaire and standards. A modern, cost-benefit-oriented and effective border management should ensure both open borders as well as maximum security. At the same time, potential transnational threats must be clearly identified and cross-border organised crime combated consistently without compromise. Hence, cross-cooperation and information exchange are very important elements of the EU’s integrated border management concept, which facilitates the coordination and cooperation between all relevant authorities and organisations in the fields of border control and border surveillance in achieving the jointly defined objectives in terms of open but at the same time secure borders. This applies within the respective border law enforcement agencies (intra-agency cooperation), as well as between other involved governmental departments and agencies of a country (inter-agency cooperation) and also across borders in a bilateral and multi-lateral context (international cooperation). The process to develop a new awareness of the dimensions of these major challenges is to clarify which standards and processes the international community needs to develop in order to combat the complexity of these potential threats effectively. The dissertation project aims to give an in-depth update on the extent to which innovative integrated border management models were developed, as well as demonstrating how the implementation of new “control filters” in non-EU countries has increased the quality of border controls and security.