The Internal Affairs and Justice-related Issues of EU Accession
The Internal Affairs and Justice-related Issues of EU Accession
During the history of the accession negotiations so far, internal affairs and justice issues have essentially been absent from the agendas, since the relevant acquis communautaire had either been non-existent or comprised of only optional international standards, whose enforcement could not have fallen within the competencies of the member states. In the course of the European Union’s most recent expansion, however, the internal affairs and justice issues - like the otherwise well-known subjects - constituted an independent negotiation chapter. This situation represents a challenge not only for the candidate states, including Hungary, but for the present member states also. As a result of the new legal bases established by the Maastricht Treaty, the Amsterdam Convention, the adoption of the Schengen Convention among the acquis communautaire and intensifying legislation and standardization, a permanent adaptation and harmonization process is in effect among not only the candidates but also the member states, while accession negotiations are in progress regarding the internal affairs and justice chapter. It is evident that this situation alone could explain why Chapter 24 belongs to the so-called group of “hard core” chapters, however, this is not the sole criterion.
1. Conditions for Cooperation in Internal Affairs and Justice
2. Cooperation Between Hungary and the European Union in the Areas of Internal Affairs and Justice
3. Key Issues of Internal Affairs and Justice Cooperation
4. The Status of the Accession Negotiations Concerning Internal and Justice Affairs
