Managing Europe From Home: The Europeanisation of the Irish ...

essentially from Dublin. In 1999 this number was 100. According to one official
interviewed, Justice is now responsible for approximately seventy per cent of
COREPER II business (Interview 72, 08.05.02). 24
To reiterate, the challenge posed by the EU’s JHA policy for the Department of
Justice is significant. As the remit of the Union expands and the decision rules are
modified, the Department has had to and will continue to have to adopt new
strategies for JHA business. The fragmentation of the field into pillar one, traditional
JHA and Schengen makes it even more difficult to monitor across the range and to
assess when Ireland should get involved in negotiations on those areas for which it
has a potential opt out.
24 Coreper II, attended by Permanent Representatives, deals with the following policy
areas: General affairs, Economics and Finance, Justice, home affairs and civil
protection, development and budget.