Under Construction: ESDP and the ‘Fight Against Organised Crime’

This paper discusses the phenomenon of ‘organised crime’ as a matter for EU foreign and security policy. Primarily aimed at searching for conceptual guidance, the first part draws on literature on criminology and policing, presenting two different theoretical perspectives for analyzing the phenomenon of ‘organized-crime fighting’, a utilitarian and a social constructivist one. Against this backdrop, the second part discusses how ESDP has developed and engaged the issue of organized crime.

Specifically, it outlines the character of ESDP as a mechanism for ‘civilian crisis management’ and illustrates its ‘working’ through the case of the EU’s police mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUPM) by placing it in the two different theoretical frames. Deciding in favour of a constructivist approach, the paper concludes by suggesting that a successful strategy must focus on the dissemination of the EU’s understanding of ‘organized crime’ abroad.

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Under Construction: ESDP and the ‘Fight Against Organised Crime’