Fusion, it is argued, creates significant institutional and political barriers to greater cooperation and obscures the human rights and civil liberties violations involved in many migration issues. In spite of these difficulties, however, there has been a concerted effort to advance cooperation among member states in the case of the trafficking in women. This paper analyzes the position of this issue on the EU's internal-security agenda and its links to the EU's future enlargement. Also, the nature of the EU's response to the trafficking issue is examined, establishing whether political rhetoric has been matched by policy development and implementation. The author argues that as problematic as it is, the fusion of immigration and crime issues is apparently so central to the trafficking in women that a multidisciplinary response is the only appropriate solution. The EU's ability to combine the strengths of its supranational institutions and its member states to create a comprehensive program of financial, social, frontier control, and law enforcement measures testifies to the potential of justice and home-affairs cooperation. The proof of the successful management of the "fusion," however, will come with evidence of changes to national legislation and widespread program implementation. 67 notes