ABSTRACT
The lifting of the Iron Curtain and the appeal of the European integration project have changed the relationship between the members of the European Union (EU) and the broader European continent. With enlargement, eight Central Eastern European countries have joined the Union. The enlarging EU's interdependence with its surroundings is marked by strong asymmetries that, in turn, make EU member states more sensitive and vulnerable to developments outside their borders. The perception of external threats has gone hand-in-hand with efforts to safeguard internal security in the Union through cooperation in justice and home affairs. Justice and home affairs is one of the most recent areas of cooperation in the EU – and has rapidly moved from the sidelines to the centre stage of the European integration project. Already in the early 1990s, the European Commission and the Parliament issued proposals to adopt preventive strategies in the field of refugee and immigration policy vis-a-vis third countries.
