Participation of the Minister of Justice and Public Order
in the
Informal Meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Council
The combat of terrorism and
cybercrime were the main issues discussed by the Ministers of Justice, in the
framework of the deliberations of the Informal Meeting of the EU Justice and
Home Affairs Council, held in Amsterdam, on 25 and 26 January.
Due to the recent terrorist attacks
in Paris and the weaknesses recorded on the information exchange processes
concerning foreign fighters, the Ministers of Justice elaborated on ways for the
improvement of information exchange amongst EU member states, as well as between
the relevant EU agencies. The Ministers stressed the need for interoperability
of all available data bases, so that the law enforcement agencies have an
immediate access to all information which might lead to identifying terrorists.
Aiming at the
prevention of terrorist attacks, the Ministers mentioned the need to improve
both the quality and quantity of the available information, as well as to take
measures that are going to enable the exchange of the information shared between
the security services and the corresponding national law enforcement agencies.
The Council also
announced the set-up of the Counter-Terrorism Group in Europol, which is
expected to play a significant role in the improvement of coordination amongst
member states.
Moreover, the
Council focused on the importance of local societies’ assistance in dealing with
radicalization and violent extremism. The Local Authorities, in cooperation with
the education, the social and the health services could structure targeted
programs for the prevention and support of the vulnerable groups of people,
especially the young, aiming at enhancing society against terrorist propaganda.
In addition, the
Ministers exchanged views on issues of common concern faced by their law
enforcement agencies as far as the prosecution of cross-border crime committed
through the internet is concerned, such as the limitations on jurisdiction and
the differences between the legal systems of member states. They also shared
views on the solution of problems occurring at the collection of evidence stage,
within the cross-border investigation framework and the presentation of the
evidence at the court.
The possibility of updating the
existing European legal rules and the adoption of common standards and processes
of collection and exchange of evidence, in order to effectively prosecute
suspects, were examined as possible solutions. Additionally, the importance of
cooperation with service providers and the training of the prosecution
authorities personnel on the best practices applied in other countries were
emphasized during the discussion.
Lastly, the European Committee
presented its proposals concerning the amendment of laws on the exchange of
criminal records, in order to include in the records the conviction of third
country nationals.
At the side of the Council’s
deliberations, the Minister of Justice, Mr Ionas Nicolaou, had a meeting with
the Greek Minister of Justice, Mr Nicos Paraskevopoulos, during which they
discussed issues of common interest.
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