A Comparative Overview of European and Extra-European National Regulation of Private Military and Security Services

The contemporary period has been defined as one characterised by the 'corporatisation' of security services at the transnational level. Overall, security services cover a wide spectrum of activities, which can take place in war and non-war contexts and have as a common denominator the potential involvement in the use of force. In non-war contexts they include activities consisting in the protection of goods and persons, such as street patrol and crime prevention. In war contexts, in addition to these practices, specific activities relating to the military exist, such as combat support, military advice and training. This paper sketches a critical overview of national regulation for services provided by private military and security companies (PMSCs) in a number of EU Member States and third countries. The purpose is to highlight analogies, differences and problematic issues in the regulatory framework of the different legal orders taken into account.