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Abstract: > Justice and Home Affairs cooperation in the European Union has developed rapidly since the end of the 1990s. Now under the label of the ‘Area of Freedom, Security and Justice’, the EU’s responsibilities have grown considerably in the effort to combat cross–border crime (including terrorism) and illegal immigration. This article outlines recent developments in this area, along with key obstacles to continued cooperation. The analysis focuses on five dimensions of security and risk management related to JHA cooperation: the conceptual context in which cooperation takes place, the various policy–making initiatives, the role of information exchange and analysis, operational instruments and the various aims of legislation. These dimensions shed light not only on the EU’s particular role in this increasingly active area of policy making, but also on the main challenges to further cooperation and integration. >

Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern has spoken out against picking and choosing parts of the EU constitution saying it risks unravelling if member states simply take out the bits they like best. "This finely balanced package, once unravelled, will be impossible to put together again", the Irish leader told European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels on Wednesday (8 November).