Présentation en anglais Approximation of substantive criminal law in the EU The way forward The European Union s efforts to approximate substantive criminal law began under the third pillar of the Maastricht Treaty, then amended by the Amsterdam and Nice Treaties. As with other areas of cooperation in criminal matters, this domain has been « communitarised » by the Lisbon Treaty. Since then, it is the area where the most initiatives hâve been introduced. In this context, the purpose of the book is twofold. The first aim is to evaluate the changes introduced by the new Treaty and, three years after its entry into force, to provide an overview of the concrete implementation and practical impact of thèse changes. The second is to reflect on future prospects. Following an introduction, which identifies the institutional and décision- making changes resulting from the Lisbon Treaty and examines the novel interactions among European actors, the book is divided into two main sections.