3 - How to Prioritize White-Collar Crime Research in the European Union in Relation to Internal and External Security

Summary

Introduction

As has been underlined by the European Union (EU), many of today's security concerns originate from instability in the EU's immediate neighbourhood and changing forms of radicalization, violence and terrorism. Threats are becoming more varied and more international, as well as increasingly cross-border and cross-sectorial in nature. These threats require an effective and coordinated response at the European level. The European Agenda on Security (European Commission, 2015b) from 2015 prioritizes terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime as interlinked areas with a strong cross-border dimension, where ‘EU action can make a real difference’ (European Commission, 2015b: 2). On the other hand, in September 2018, a historic meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council occurred, focusing for the very first time on corruption and conflict and emphasizing the role of anti-corruption policies in maintaining international peace and security. After the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that healthrelated questions and access to healthcare will become key security issues. In the healthcare sector, close links to corruption and fraud are found as well. Given these diverse security concerns within the EU region, this chapter deals with questions about which areas could be considered as the key priority areas for European white-collar and corporate crime scholarship when taking into consideration the European Agenda on Security, especially if the EU maintains its role as a global leader. This chapter argues that white-collar crime research should prioritize violations of human security in the context of the EU's internal and external security.

How security should be understood today

When discussing not only security agendas and policies but also research in Europe, the idea of security should be understood within the concept of ‘human security’. This refers to protecting ‘vital freedoms’ which are fundamental to human existence and development. Human security is therefore a means of ‘protecting people from severe and pervasive threats, both natural and societal, and empowering individuals and communities to develop the capabilities for making informed choices and acting on their own behalf ‘, while ‘vital freedoms’ refers to the ‘inalienable fundamental rights and freedoms that are laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments’ (Ogata and Cels, 2003: 274).