In 2000, the European Union set a goal to develop an integrated strategy to prevent and control transnational organized crime (TOC). At the time, the European Union felt that the number of policies and arrangements in place did not constitute a clear and coherent strategy against TOC. The European Union has been developing an interlocking set of policy responses to TOC with an increased focus since 1997. However, in the past this increased focus has occurred with minimal transparency in the process of policymaking. Policymaking on TOC at the European Union level has since become a more technical process where decisions are de-politicized by law enforcement experts to develop ideas and legitimize discourse for political elites. Such experts do not have to justify the basis of their decisions, or their implications, to any national democratic structures, due to the secretive nature of the European Union policymaking process. Notes, references