The current period of development of Ukraine is characterized by the intensification of European integration processes, among which ensuring the adaptation of the national border security system to the European standards takes an important place. The mechanism of implementation of the border policy implementation to ensure the border security of the European Union is the European integrated border management, the complex basis of which is the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR). For the successful European integration of Ukraine, it is important to take into account the European experience of formation, functioning, and prospects for the development of European integrated border management. Planning of preventive strategic steps, which in the future will ensure a successful integration of Ukraine’s border security system and its state border into similar components of the European Union, should be included in the content of all thematic strategic documents (legislation, concepts, strategies, programs, plans, etc.).

The article touches upon a set of issues related to the cross-border crime definition and features. Cross-border crime can be defined as a criminal-legal, criminological and criminalist concept. The author’s approach is that it is exactly criminal-legal dimension of this problem that is primary one. A criminal-legal understanding of cross-border crimes is suggested. It is analyzed by comparing the provisions of a number of international and national acts in the context of cross-boundary as a legal concept and characteristics of offences. There is emphasized that cross-border crimes constitute a relatively stable set of crimes that threaten the interests of states in the sphere of border and national security. The cross-border crimes objective features are considered. They include public interests, offender’s modus operandi, the victim, items transferred across the border. It is concluded that the cross-boundary nature in the criminal law of Ukraine stems from the peculiarities of the offender’s actions. The classification of crimes into unconditionally and conditionally cross-border is suggested. Such a division is associated with the obligatory/optional nature of such an objective feature as border crossing.