Guest editorial: EU agencies in transnational criminal enforcement : From a coordinated approach to an integrated EU criminal justice

The articles in this special issue consider the institutional foundations of the Union’s criminalpolicy – a highly critical question for the future development of the Area of Freedom, Security andJustice. The ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and the subsequent legal and political developmentshave entailed an unprecedented reinforcement of the powers of the EU’s criminal justice agenciesEuropol, Eurojust and, recently, the establishment of a novel criminal justice body – the EuropeanPublic Prosecutor’s Office. On the basis of the Treaty mandate, the EU legislator has adoptedimportant reforms such as the EPPO Regulation, and new Europol and Eurojust regulations. In lightof these developments, this special issue explores via a multi-disciplinary investigation the extent towhich the increased competences of the EU and the stronger presence of EU criminal justiceagencies have transformed EU criminal law from an ‘intergovernmental’ regime to a ‘supranational’and ‘integrated’ framework. We expect that this special issue will enhance further debate on EUcriminal justice agencies, encourage novel paths to bridge the boundaries between disciplinaryepistemic communities in the study of EU criminal justice and more broadly contribute to anadvanced understanding of the role of law in social and political integration