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Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the Post-Lisbon System in Relation to Police Cooperation

NCJ Number
244713
Journal
Internal Security Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: July - December 2011 Pages: 15-23
Author(s)
Izabela Iglewska
Date Published
December 2011
Length
9 pages
Annotation
The introduction of The Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009 changed the rules of the EU Presidency, especially those related to the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice.
Abstract
In the area of police cooperation, there have been changes in the process of creating EU laws and the approach to initiating cooperation in particular fields. After analyzing the experiences of the three member states holding the EU Presidency under the new system (Spain, Belgium, Hungary), the author notes that the particular factors which have changed the approach to presiding over the EU Council in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, changed presidency formula after the Lisbon Treaty, changed legislative procedures--that is a prolonged time in creating EU laws, and the specific character of international cooperation in the area of internal security. The revised presidency formula makes the success of the member state holding the presidency of the EU Council in a given half-year mainly depend on administrative capacity, Diplomatic and political skills, though important, no longer play the leading role. Accordingly, the countries holding the presidency focus on the proper administration of the EU Council bodies and EU agencies, the cooperation with the EU institutions, and the continuation of projects initiated by the previous presidencies. The type and nature of EU Acts adopted post-Lisbon, i.e. mainly non-binding documents, indicate that member states have not yet adapted to using co-decision procedures in the area of police cooperation. They may also be not sufficiently determined to further strengthen cooperation in the field of internal security. (Published Abstract)