The European integration process has provided for the internal market, an area without internal frontiers, allowing for free movement of goods, persons, services and capital within the European Union. Complementary, the Union needs mechanisms to combat the negative consequences of the open borders policy and to protect its external borders. Therefore, it was decided that justice and home affairs cooperation...

The European integration process has provided for the internal market, an area without internal frontiers, allowing for free movement of goods, persons, services and capital within the European Union. Complementary, the Union needs mechanisms to combat the negative consequences of the open borders policy and to protect its external borders. Therefore, it was decided that justice and home affairs cooperation should also be developed at European level. The Hague Programme is the working programme of the European Union concerning justice and home affairs cooperation in the period 2005-2010. In the present book the contents of the Hague Programme of 2004 are explained. Under the headings 'Freedom', 'Security' and 'Justice' developments so far and future perspectives are discussed regarding subject matter such as border control, visa policy, immigration law, police cooperation and criminal law cooperation. All these policy areas are to be considered recent policy domains of the European Union.