Since the early 1990's the member states of the EU have attempted to create a unique institutional architecture to address internal security challenges. The fusing of immigration and crime issues into an “internal security continuum” has become a defining element in both institution-building and substantive policy responses. This paper is concerned with the process of fusion, particularly its implications for future European cooperation. It argues that fusion creates significant institutional and political barriers to greater cooperation and obscures the human rights and civil liberties dimensions of many migration issues. Despite these difficulties, there has been a concerted effort to advance cooperation in the case of trafficking in women. The paper examines the nature of the EU’s response to the trafficking issue and whether political rhetoric has been matched by policy practice. Notes