ABSTRACT
The Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) has gone through a process of agencification, as has happened with many other EU policies. European agencies represent ‘an important part of the EU’s institutional machinery’ (Chiti 2009: 1395). The development of the AFSJ has led to a multiplication of the activities carried by EU agencies, which were created to reinforce operational cooperation among national authorities. The AFSJ agencies have not only offered operational and technical support to the member states, but they have also provided ‘useful evidence-based input to the policy debate and the decision process’ at the EU level (AFSJ Agencies 2014). The AFSJ agencies are also bound to play a key role in relations with third states and international organizations. In the past years, AFSJ agencies have been called upon by the institutions to increase their cooperation with those third countries considered to be a priority for the EU.
