The development of Europol's external relations: Towards supranationalism?

Léonard, Sarah; Kaunert, Christian

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which, if any, the development of Europol’s external relations over time has contributed to the integration of EU policing and criminal justice. More precisely, with reference to the academic debates on ‘intergovernmentalism’ and ‘supranationalism’, it examines the extent to and the ways in which the growth in Europol’s external relations has indicated a move away from intergovernmentalism towards more supranationalism in the EU’s policing and criminal justice cooperation. It does so by systematically examining the development of Europol’s external relations over time using a continuum ranging from ‘intergovernmentalism’ to ‘supranationalism’ as ideal-types, whilst arguing for not reducing supranationalism to the ‘Community method’. The article shows that the balance between intergovernmental and supranational features in the governance of Europol’s external relations has changed over time as the latter have been gradually reinforced. Starting from a position close to the intergovernmental pole of the continuum, Europol has moved significantly towards the supranational pole in its external relations, especially after the Europol Regulation began to apply in 2017.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 7, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 24, 2021
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2021
• Journal: Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law
• Print ISSN: 1023-263X
• Electronic ISSN: 2399-5548
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 229-244
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1023263X211005162
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7228855