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

Members. 277 The Joint Action on drug trafficking made a similar call and urged Member
States to
“make the practices of their police, customs services and judicial authorities more
compatible with each other”. 278
Along the same lines, the Joint Action on combating racism and xenophobia also called
upon Member States to improve their judicial cooperation in relation to contact points,
sharing of information and the seizure and confiscation of tracts, pictures or material
containing expressions of racism and xenophobia. 279 All these measures aimed at
developing better communication and mutual understanding between national
authorities.
Police cooperation was the domain where initiatives were more numerous and
significant. This came as no surprise given the strong inheritance the pre-Maastricht
years had left at this level. Hence, many of these initiatives came to formalise and make
official structures and initiatives already taken and debated during the Trevi period.
Nonetheless, significant new steps and projects were put forward, namely attempts at
centralisation and the creation of more structured arrangements for cooperation. Overall,
police cooperation followed the same objective and rationale as judicial cooperation –
sharing information and knowledge.
277 Article 1 of the Joint Action 98/421/JHA of 29 June 1998 adopted by the Council on the basis
of Article K.3 of the Treaty of the European union, on good practice in mutual legal assistance in
criminal matters, OJ L 191/1 [1998].
278 Article 2 of the Joint Action, ibid..
279 Joint Action 96/443/JHA of 15 July 1996 adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3
of the Treaty of the European Union, concerning action to combat racism and xenophobia, OJ L
185/5 [1996], Title I (B). More Joint Actions, besides the ones mentioned, called for similar
improvements in cooperation, such as Joint Action on the targeting criteria for police, Joint
Action 97/372/JHA adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty of the
European Union, for the refining of targeting criteria, selection methods, etc., and collection of
customs and police information, OJ L 159/1 [1997]; the Joint Action on the Oisin Programme,
Joint Action 97/12/JHA of 20 December 1996 adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3
of the Treaty on European Union providing for a common programme for the exchange and
training of, and cooperation between, law enforcement authorities, OJ L 007/5 [1997]; the Joint
Action on international organised crime, Joint Action 96/747 of 29 November 1996 adopted by
the Council on the basis of Article K.3 of the Treaty on European Union, OJ L 342/2 [1996]; and
the Joint Action concerning the exchange of information on the chemical profiling of drugs, Joint
Action 96/699/JHA of 29 November 1996 adopted by the Council on the basis of Article K.3 of
the Treaty on European Union, concerning the exchange of information on the chemical profiling
of drugs to facilitate improved cooperation between Member States in combatting illict drug
trafficking, OJ L 322/5 [1996].
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