The evolution of European Union criminal law (1957-2012)

However, the journey of writing this dissertation was as much a professional experience
as it was a personal one and the support I received beyond LSE was fundamental. One
of my greatest debts of gratitude is to Sara Brown. Without her nurturing support, this
journey would have been much harder, if even possible at all. I will be forever grateful
to her. I owe a very special thank you to Dr. Manuel Fialho Bento without whose care
and unconditional support the final stages of this thesis would not have been feasible. I
am also deeply grateful to Christy Campbell. She has been a wonderful friend, a terrific
companion and a valuable reader of this work. Her friendship has made my life and this
work much richer. Meghan Horvath has been a pillar of my life in London and of the
PhD journey. So have Ana Sofia Silva and Sérgio Alves, whose long lasting friendship
keeps me grounded. Isha Weerasinghe, Ricardo Camões and Isaac Iglesias have been the
best friends one could ask for. Luis, Leon, Luce, Michele, Claire, Thomas, Kate, Tom,
Liz and many others have made these past years happy ones.
Simon Haddock’s companionship, love and unconditional support have changed my life
in many ways and have made this journey smoother. Furthermore, his art and our long
dinner conversations about Europe and so many other topics have enriched my way of
thinking about our changing world and made the process of writing this thesis more
interesting. I thank him for all that and more. I also thank Ale and Julia for the laughter
and joy.
Last but certainly not least, I thank my parents, Maria Laura Cima and Hilário Chaves. It
is impossible to find words that could do them, and the support they have given me, any
justice. Their kindness, generosity, respect and acceptance of others, resilience, intellect
and so many other traits have been a source of inspiration and an example to me both at
a personal and professional level. Moreover, throughout my entire life they have
encouraged me to find my inner voice, to read, to write and to follow my dreams. They
have always stood by me and continuously given me more support than I could ever
have asked for or even imagined to be possible. This dissertation is wholeheartedly
dedicated to them.
London, June 2012
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