Policy on Justice and Home Affairs: From High to Low Politics
With the implementation of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997, justice & home affairs & police cooperation were incorporated into the First Pillar of European Union cooperation. Early initiatives such as TREVI I, II, III, & IV (1975-1992), the Single European Act (1986), & the Coordinators Group (1988) worked to increase police cooperation within the EU. The Schenegen Agreement & the Maastricht Treaty also influenced police cooperation. By the time the Amsterdam Treaty was signed, member countries were ready to implement guidelines pertaining to asylum, visa regulations, border control, & other legal issues. Today, justice & home affairs policies are included in the EU's First & Third Pillars. Europol is in operation, & the EU is expanding cooperation in lesser-degree policing areas, moving the EU closer to achieving a common legal union. K. A. Larsen