Research one of the European Union's agencies ( Europol ). Critically Essay

Research one of the European Union's agencies ( Europol ). Critically assess their role and effectiveness - Essay Example Four years later, the EU Member States expanded Europol’s mandate by ratifying the Europol Convention; a treaty that became fully operational in July 1999. The agency, from its seat of power in The Hague, deploys its assets including about 800 officers to combat crime in the whole of Europe (Deflem, 2009). The scope of Europol contradicts the fact that it is in constant cooperation with several law enforcement organisations working within the EU member states. As of 2013, Europol has jurisdiction in all states within the European Union. Nuthall and Paun (2013) have noted that for the agency to effectively curb organised crime across national territories, Europol liaises with several countries and police agencies within EU and neighbouring countries (Emanuel, 1999; Resodihardjo, Eijk and Carroll, 2012). Notably, when there is need to liaise with non-EU members Europol’s Europol External Strategy established the parameters within which the agency should work in its effort to fight organized crime that might compromise the safety of EU citizens (Berdal, & Serrano, 2002). Europol has undergone major transformations over the years to become an EU agency with more powers to gather criminal intelligence and act upon them (Ladenburger, 2008). Today Europol has the full backing of the European Parliament that addresses its budget. History of Europol Europol can be traced to 1975’s TREVI, an internal organization that was responsible for ensuring a better liaison amongst European Commission members on security issues (House of Lords European Union Committee, 2008). In 1993, however, the adoption of the Maastricht Treaty replaced it (Mounier, 2009). Prior to its establishment, Germany had made proposals to the EC, pressing for the establishment of an international police agency. In 1991, the state formally proposed the establishment of a European Police Office in Luxembourg before member states of the EU (Deflem, 2009). And by the end the year, the In tergovernmental Conference was convinced that by establishing Europol under the Maastricht Treaty, the whole of EU region would be more secure. The result was the formation of a rather weak Europol, whose primary purpose was to facilitate the sharing of intelligence amongst police agencies under the European Union (Nuthall, & Paun, 2013; Santiago, 2000). Delays in enacting the Maastricht Treaty prompted TREVI officials to form the Europol Drugs Unit (EDU) Agreement in mid-1993 (Mounier, 2009). The EDU, being unconstitutional led to the setting up of a lean team of law enforcers led by Jurgen Storbeck. The team immediately embarked on policing campaigns from temporary structures in a Strasbourg neighbourhood, while lasting solutions were being sought. After the enactment of the Maastricht Treaty, EU member states began to deliberate upon legitimising a Europol Convention. Meanwhile, the mandate of Europol Drugs Unit (EDU) was expanded between 1995 and 1996 to encompass several traffi cking crimes (Gregory, 1998). Back then, police officers could only share information bilaterally, as the establishment of a joint database for the entire EU membership was not possible without the prior passage of the Europol Convention (Andreescut and Keeling, 2012; Byrne, 2013). Eventually, the Europol Convention became functional in late 1998 after its ratification by more than half of the 28 member states. Nonetheless, certain legal issues such as the protection of primary data and