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It is only in the Seventies that activities related to judicial
cooperation in criminal matters were launched among the
Member States of the European Communities. During the first
period, the realizations in the field were extremely limited but
they progressively developed during the nineties in the frame-work
of the Third Pillar of the Treaty on the European Union.
After the coming into force of the Amsterdam Treaty, which
sets the new objective for the Union of establishing an area of
freedom, security and justice, the number of initiatives and of
the adopted instruments in the criminal sector have increased.
The rhythm has even been accelerated after the European
Summit hold in October 1999 in Tampere under the Finnish
Presidency and in reaction to the terrorist attacks of
11 September 2001. Consequently the European criminal
domain has become one of the main building areas of the
European Union. Its importance as well as the number and the
implications of the adopted texts within the field justify the
making of the present Code of criminal law of the European
Union. Its volume is the best proof of the reached development
of the European criminal area.
