Since the Lisbon Treaty, the EU increasingly exerts more influence on national criminal law. This approximation process not only promotes judicial cooperation and law enforcement cooperation among the EU Member States, the harmonization of national criminal laws also strengthens the confidence EU citizens have in the European legal system. Moreover, common criminal laws ensure access to justice, even if someone is involved in a cross-border case. This, in particular, is important because penalties for the same crimes can vary greatly within the EU (European Commission 2016).