Cooperation in Europe
Sweden's membership in the European Union, EU, has had a great impact on police work. The Member States cooperate in an effort to combat and prevent crime across borders.
One of the goals of the EU is to guard and develop the union as an area where freedom, security and justice for all is guaranteed. Police cooperation represents one of the foundational pillars in achieving this goal.
The area of cooperation within the EU that primarily relates to the work of the Swedish Police is Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), and it concerns police, customs and prosecutorial cooperation, penal law, external border controls, asylum and immigration policy and civil law.
The cooperation within the EU has a significant direct impact on the daily police work in Sweden. The EU's activities within the area aim to create improved conditions for the Member States' police organisations to jointly combat increasingly diversified and organised cross-border crime.
The Swedish National Police Board participates in and coordinates the work within the working groups and institutions related to the Swedish Police operations.
Close cooperation between the Member States is sought in order to:
- combat transnational crime
- create uniform standards for a humane European asylum and immigration policy
- improve the civil cooperation.