Socioeconomic differences and disparities in border regions create a number of common challenges, which are priorities and key objectives of cross-border cooperation at EU level. One of the most important means to ensure safe and efficient borders is both by improving operations and procedures for management and by strengthening international supply chain security or even by improving infrastructures and equipment at borders.

The "Lower Danube" Euro-region is an important geo-strategic and cross-border cooperation point between EU member states and those outside the EU from the Danube region and the Black Sea basin. The current situation resulting from conflicts in the region, is contrary to economic and social development of areas on both sides of the external border of the European Union.

The Cross-Border Institute for International Studies and Criminal Justice at the "Dunărea de Jos" University of Galați is structured around three research centers each with its own field of action, namely:

• The Centre for Studies in Criminal Justice;
• The Center for International Studies and Human Rights;
• The Center for Prevention of Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism.

In addition to these centers, will operate three specialized laboratories, namely:

• Laboratory for forensic investigations and research;
• Laboratory for behavioral analysis and assessment;
• Laboratory for forensic toxicology.

The Institute will be involved both in areas of interest of international studies and international law (Danube legal regime, EU`s relationship with third States, strategic importance of the Black Sea, human rights and refugees) as well as the cross-border criminality (terrorism, human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children, illicit drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and counterfeiting of means of payment, corruption, computer crime and organized crime).

The objectives of the Institute will focus on knowledge and understanding of phenomena occurring within the globalized and globalizing international society context of the multidisciplinary and cross-border implications that it has on other areas of interest, thus contributing to the development of high level fundamental and applied research. The solutions will be in the trans-disciplinary approaches throughout the use of the international and diplomatic studies, security studies and conflict prevention and regional studies.

The Institute intends to provide teaching and training, including both improvement and rigorous implementing of the regulatory national and international frameworks, as well as maintaining both a high level of professionalism of the staff and strengthening institutional structures with competencies in specific areas of interest, which will lead to increased performance analysis of the phenomena occurring in the international globalized society, ensuring thus the necessary conditions for preventing and fighting the transnational criminal phenomenon.