Justice and Home Affairs and the EU’s New Neighbours: Governance Beyond Membership?

Abstract

At the same time as the new EU member states are gradually moving from being passive receivers of EU policies to full members of the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ), the external effects of European integration are increasingly becoming felt beyond the new external borders. The shift of the Schengen border will have direct implications for the EU’s new neighbours, their populations, their economies and their own border regimes. Much like the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) in the early 1990s, these new neighbours are gaining a pivotal role in the internal/external security nexus of justice and home affairs (JHA) cooperation. Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus are now the potential source of the ‘soft’ security threats that are at the heart of justice and home affairs, both as countries of origin and, probably more importantly, transit countries for irregular migrants, drug dealers, those involved in organized crime or even terrorists.KeywordsOrganize CrimeMoney LaunderingEuropean CouncilHome AffairExternal BorderThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.