Harmonisation and harmonising measures in criminal law

Harmonisation of criminal law is a subject which engenders fierce debate among proponents and adversaries. Within the European context, the discussion has until recently been subdued due to the European institutions that criminal law does not enter the Community's sphere of competence. It should remain within the province of the Member States. Obviously, this point of view did not fully correspond with legal reality. However, the debate has gathered momentum by the EU Treaty of Amsterdam, which squarely addresses the harmonisation issue Article 31 of the Treaty urges the Member State to approximate their criminal law provisions with a view to improving the mutual cooperation in criminal affairs. This collection of papers deals with various aspects of harmonisation of criminal law.