ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows how the European Union's (EU's) area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) is a field of integration and the difficulties surrounding the issue of constitutional legitimacy in the EU. The development of the AFSJ is set out in terms of: policy; institutions and critical commentary. The AFSJ claims to represent the meaning of goods, security, freedom and justice which have traditionally been the exclusive domain of the state. The task which has been undertaken is to understand why constitutional thinking becomes an appropriate lens to bring to awareness the European Union's policy developments in the AFSJ. Constitutional theorists, and also political figures, have attempted to resolve the uncertainty surrounding the constitutional legitimacy of the EU by attempting to outline what might be the finalite, or the end-justifications, of integration.
