EU criminal law has been a fast-developing area of law over the last decade. Its developments have spurred controversy as well as enthusiasm. It has been observed that its primary focus has been on procedural mechanisms to facilitate cooperation, such as the principle of mutual recognition or the principle of availability (respectively, within judicial and police cooperation in criminal matters) rather than on guarantees for individual rights. In order to support and strengthen the interaction between judicial and police authorities across the EU, Art. 82 (2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) confers upon the European Parliament and the Council the power to approximate Member States’ procedural rules by establishing minimum rules. The matter is rather delicate as criminal law is one of the core attributes of state sovereignty. It is not surprising that the same provision includes guarantees that take into account the differences between the European traditions. In this context, one of the aspects that deserve particular attention is the role and legal position of victims of crime. Their rights are explicitly mentioned by Art. 82 (2) TFEU as one of the areas where minimum approximation shall be pursued. Although it may at first sight look like a marginal procedural issue, the way of dealing with victims of crime reflects a variety of theoretical approaches on how crime, punishment, and the relationship between the individual and the state are being conceived.

The first Association was formally constituted in Rome in October 1990. Today, there are 32 associations altogether, representing all the Member States (except Cyprus), plus Croatia, San Marino, Switzerland, and Turkey. AGON, the bulletin of the Associations, was first published in April 1993. It was replaced by eucrim in 2006. The Associations meanwhile function as a network and serve as a forum in the field of European criminal law and the protection of the financial interests of the European Union. They are made up of representatives from the legal and judicial professions (academics and practitioners) as well as other law enforcement agencies (police, inspection departments, etc.). Their mission is based on a series of guiding principles established in the early nineties and highlighting their structure, functions, role, objectives, and activities. Twenty years later, in the light of experience gained and the new environment provided by the Lisbon Treaty, it is appropriate to reflect upon the future role of the Associations in the EU legal space. To this effect, new guidelines were agreed upon among the Associations’ delegates in May 2011 concerning the structure, role, and priorities of the Associations.