Paper on specific case study of Latvia (EU)/Russia border

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Politics - Topic: European Union, grade: A-, Sciences Po Paris, Dijon, Nancy, Poitier, Menton, Havre (L¿Institut d¿Etudes Politiques de Lille), course: Borders, Borderlands, and Security, language: English, abstract: Paper addresses the transformation of the agenda of border security relating to Latvia-Russia border. There are discussed following problems in paper:

Ø the relevance of signed treaty between Latvia and Russia;

Ø the investment in Latvia/Russia border;

Ø the effectiveness of cross-border cooperation;

Ø problems with which Latvia-Russia border is dealing (increased number of cargos waiting for crossing Latvia/Russia border, smuggling, persons crossing border with fictitious documents, illegal border crossers and illegal immigrants).

This paper focuses on what comes in through the border, and not so much on what goes out except problem of long truck lines. This paper also focuses on the investment and problems which affected Latviäs side not Russiäs.

Definition of Borders and Security

Boundary - a demarcation indicating some division in spatial terms. Border ¿ an international boundary line; when a border is seen as a zone it is often called a borderland or the borderlands. Frontier - a zone of contact with or without a specified boundary line.

As L.Heininen and H.N.Nicol have emphasized ¿security¿ is a broad concept, there are many ideas about the meaning of security and what should, or should not, be a ¿security¿ issue, therefore there are many different understandings and ways to define and conceptualize security.

Security in this paper is understood as direct intervention to prevent threats and interdict dangerous people and goods at the Latvia/Russia border.

Function of the Conceptual Framework

Author, as E.Brunet-Jailly in Borderlands: Comparing Border Security in North America and the European Union, in this paper tried, first, to discuss the relevance of agents on borders, second, to examine the porosity of border, and third, to suggest new policy guidelines to government and agents that might strengthen border security objectives.