Guarding Europe

Many Europeans have a distorted image of what the European Union’s justice and home affairs policies are all about. Some envisage that, in the near future, blue and gold police cars will speed about European streets, and the evening news will carry pictures of Europol detectives leading handcuffed suspects away to multinational jails. The truth is more prosaic: justice and home affairs remains a new policy area for the EU, and agencies like the police office Europol, the Council’s Situation Centre (SITCEN) — a produce of intelligence assessments for the EU foreign policy chief- and the new border guard agency are struggling to find their feet. Many European politicians fret about terrorism and organised crime, but few back the idea that the EU should create its own intelligence service or that it should establish an independent federal police. It is, however, clear that the EU must do more to protect itself against terrorism and organised crime.