Abstract:
With the establishing of the Schengen zone and the implementation of free
movement with the zone, criminals have sought new criminal opportunities in a variety of
regions within EU.. These developments pushed the EU in 2010, to embrace the
European Police Office (Europol) into its framework, as a countermeasure to the lack of
mobility that member states’ law enforcement were plagued with. Thus, this study
evaluates the mechanisms that Europol manages and promotes with the intention of
increase law enforcement cooperation (LEC) in the fight against organized crime.
Throughout the study, three issues of LEC are identified as obstacles that are recurring
and have yet to be addressed effectively; and three of Europol’s mechanisms and their
individual components are pitted against these recurring issues. Through this process, the
research determines the effect of each mechanism on LEC, as well as, whether or not
these mechanisms engage with the recurring issue they were matched with positively.
