La cooperazione giudiziaria in materia penale e di polizia

The EU progressively expands its fields of action to areas in which the EU legislation is questioning the respect of constitutional principles and national sovereignty. After the monetary union, the third pillar was one of the main controversial areas to be developed. In connection with September 11 2001 and the threat of international terrorism, the EU action in the area of judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters expanded rapidly, notwithstanding the difficulty to apply the principles developed in relation with the freedoms of the common market to fields where the habeas corpus principle is being restricted. Some of the constitutional problems are being solved, especially after the Amsterdam treaty, as the author explains, but many other issues are still unsolved and deal with the central question of the nature and the future of the EU.