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This article examines the development of migration policy competencies of the European Union (EU) since the 1990s. It pays particular attention to policy framework that developed after the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties entered into effect in 1993 and 1999 respectively.

In order to chart these developments, the article focuses on five analytical themes that illustrate key trends in EU migration policy. Reasons for and implications of shift from “pillarization” in the Maastricht Treaty to “communitarization” in the Amsterdam Treaty.

— Blurring of the distinction between external and internal security.

— The role that supranational institutions such as the European Commission are playing (or trying to play) in policy development.

— Debates about migrants' rights in an integrating Europe.

— Links between migration and EU enlargement.

It is argued that far from weakening EU member states or symbolizing some “loss of …