Summary

The Treaty of Amsterdam provides that one of the priorities of the European Union is the establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice. This will, inter alia, result in closer co-operation among the Member States in the field of criminal law. Although it is too early to speak about uniform European criminal law as the legal systems and traditions are too different, efforts are made towards achievement of this objective on the level of the European Union.
The article provides a brief outline of the developments in legal co-operation in criminal matters in the European Union. First, the author examines the initial efforts made in legal co-operation in criminal matters from entry into force of the Treaty of Maastricht to that of the Treaty of Nice, and focuses on the development of the policy on justice and home affairs. Further, the author looks at the mutual recognition of judgments, harmonisation of criminal law and co-operation among judicial institutions, and the current priorities of legal co-operation in criminal matters. The author also outlines the main structures of legal co-operation and focuses on some of the areas and topics relevant for the future co-operation.