Terrorism, crime and the trafficking of people were all cross-border issues to be tackled at EU level, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said yesterday.
The Minister was speaking at the National Forum on Europe on the proposed EU constitution relating to freedom, security and justice and said it was central to the EU's future development.
He said that after September 11th, 2001, and the attacks in Madrid, concerns about terrorism and crime were even greater.
He added: "Cross-border crime, the trafficking of people and terrorism all continue to threaten our freedom and security. They are cross-border issues which are not susceptible to action at national level alone but which also require co-operation and co-ordination at the level of the Union."
It was important the EU was equipped to be effective. He believed the new European constitution would equip it in the manner now required, he said.
"I am also satisfied that the constitution gives proper and adequate recognition to our concern to maintain our legal system and traditions and ensures that we can do so."
Europe was a partnership and was not an attempt to create a super-state, he said.
"We should ask ourselves,in relation to this constitutional treaty, did it achieve for us what we set out to achieve - which is to put a workable basis for co-operation in place and the answer to that question is undoubtedly yes.
"And did it do so at the expense of an unacceptable surrender of our sovereignty or autonomy in relation to our own justice and home affairs and the answer to that is undoubtedly no," the Minister said.
The Government's view was that the case for a European public prosecutor had not been made and, until it was, nothing could happen against the wishes of member states, he said.