Constitutional European Criminal Law after Lisbon and Stockholm. In Search of a Foundation Respectful of Human Rights

COMMON RESEARCH LINE – The Future of European Criminal Law

A lot has been done for the past years in the area of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters, but there is still a lot that needs to be done in order to create a real area of Freedom, Security and Justice within the European Union. In an area of increasing mobility, the priority should be to develop and promote a European judicial area for citizens by removing the remaining restrictions on the exercise of their rights. Judgments, for example, must be recognised and easily enforced from one Member State to another. The judicial systems of the 27 Member States should be able to work together coherently and effectively in accordance with their national legal traditions. The principle of mutual recognition remains the cornerstone of European integration in the field of justice. The substantial progress in the justice field in past years will need to be consolidated and rigorously implemented in the future, though nothing tangible can be achieved without strengthening the mutual trust between members of the legal professions. The development of a European judicial area also entails the establishment by the Union of a core of common standards, especially with a view to tackling certain forms of particularly serious cross-border crime or ensuring effective implementation of EU policies. In the third pillar, the European Council works with five year action plans. The first one was the well known Tampere Programme (1999-2004), the current programme was drawn up in The Hague in 2004 and the new one will be known under the name “Stockholm Programme”.