A landmark European security conference on May 4-5 established new groundbreaking guidelines for the European Union and its neighbors on how to endorse mutual interests and tackle common threats to the internal security of the region. Participants included Interior Ministers from the EU and corresponding partners of the Western Balkans, South Caucasus, Western Commonwealth of Independent States and the Mediterranean. The United States and Russia also participated as strategic partners of the EU and took on a monitoring role.
Concerns such as terrorism, organized narcotics trafficking and human smuggling were discussed. The Union?s aim was to achieve an agreement on how to put greater cooperation into practice and subsequently improving the standard of third world law enforcements thereby allowing them to advance to a level compatible to the European criterions.
The conference was proposed and hosted by Austria , the current holder of the rotating Presidency of the EU council, who seized the opportunity of their reign to materialize an accord reached between the Interior Ministers and Ministers for Justice of the EU in December of last year. The preliminary accord in December 2005, launched the ?Strategy for the External Dimension of JHA: Global Freedom, Security and Justice?, advocating a partnership with third world countries, whose security dilemmas has an immense harmful impact on Europe. The EU acknowledged that it lies in their interest to abet those countries that because of their weakened rule of law, fail to prevent the exportation of vast crimes across the European continent. The most recent conference laid down the details of the dialogue and triumphed with the signing of the Police Cooperation Convention for the South East Europe. Segments of the signed agreement included greater police cooperation in investigations with nations beyond the Union, expanded information sharing and a universal facilitation in pursuing offenders across the borders.
The European Union expounded on their aim to assist their neighbors in fortifying their rule of law, and by those means strengthening their own security as well. ?The European Union must find an answer to the threat to security posed by terrorism, organized crime, corruption and drugs and to the challenge of managing migration flows,? the Austrian Interior Minister Liese Prokop stated.
In turn for their commitment to the agreement, the countries outside the Union were promised a series of benefits such as the prospect of freer movement across the borders, a larger inclusion in the European market and aid in crisis management. That adds to the supplementing advantage of fostering a good relationship with the Union and advancing their judicial capabilities. Hence, the EU is providing for a bulletproof strategy with a sure likelihood of succeeding.
