Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015

Europaudvalget 2015-16
Rådsmøde 3396 - RIA
Offentligt

Council of the

European Union

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(OR. en)

PRESSE 40

PR CO 32

OUTCOME OF THE COUNCIL MEETING

3396th Council meeting

Justice and Home Affairs

Luxembourg, 15 and 16 June 2015

Presidents

Dzintars RASNAČS

Minister for Justice of Latvia

Rihards KOZLOVSKIS

Minister for the Interior of Latvia

PRESS

Rue de la Loi 175 B – 1048 BRUSSELS Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319 Fax: +32 (0)2 281 8026

[email protected] http://www.consilium.europa.eu/press

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

15 and 16 June 2015

CONTENTS

ITEMS DEBATED

JUSTICE .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Data protection ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Free movement of public documents ................................................................................................... 4

European Public Prosecutor’s Office ................................................................................................... 5

HOME AFFAIRS ................................................................................................................................ 6

Migratory issues ................................................................................................................................... 6

Fight against terrorism ......................................................................................................................... 7

Renewed European Union Internal Security Strategy ......................................................................... 8

Any other business ............................................................................................................................... 9

OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

–

e-Justice ................................................................................................................................................................. 11

e-Justice - cross-border videoconferencing ........................................................................................................... 11

Genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes .............................................................................................. 11

Europol - General report 2014 ............................................................................................................................... 11

Protection against theft .......................................................................................................................................... 11

Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ........................................................... 12

Mobility Partnership EU-Belarus .......................................................................................................................... 12



Where declarations, conclusions or resolutions have been formally adopted by the Council, this is indicated

in the heading for the item concerned and the text is placed between quotation marks.

 

Documents for which references are given in the text are available on the Council's Internet site

(http://www.consilium.europa.eu).

 

Acts adopted with statements for the Council minutes which may be released to the public are indicated by

an asterisk; these statements are available on the Council's Internet site or may be obtained from the Press

Office.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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ITEMS DEBATED

JUSTICE

Data protection

The Council reached a general approach on the general data protection regulation that establishes

rules adapted to the digital era. The twin aims of this regulation are to enhance the level of personal

data protection for individuals and to increase business opportunities in the Digital Single Market.

A general approach means that the Council has a political agreement on the basis of which it can

now begin negotiations with the European Parliament with a view to reaching overall agreement on

new EU data protection rules. A first trilogue with the Parliament is planned for 24 June 2015.

The incoming Luxembourg presidency indicated that, in parallel to the negotiations on the

regulation, work on the data protection directive in the law enforcement area would be accelerated

with the aim to find a general approach in October.

For more information see

press release

Data protection reform

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

15 and 16 June 2015

Free movement of public documents

The Council reached a

general approach

on the draft regulation on promoting the free movement of

citizens and businesses by simplifying the requirements for presenting certain public documents in

the European Union. This general approach will constitute the basis for negotiations with the

European Parliament with a view to reaching overall agreement on the final text of the future

regulation.

The proposed regulation, as amended by the Council, aims at simplifying the procedures for cross-

border use of public documents related to civil status matters between the member states, i.e.

allowing for circulation of such documents without the requirement of legalisation or similar

formality, thereby contributing towards the creation of a citizens' Europe.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

15 and 16 June 2015

European Public Prosecutor’s Office

The Council broadly expressed conceptual support for the

text

of the first 16 articles on the proposal

regarding the setting up of a European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). These articles include the

most important provisions of the regulation, namely all the rules on the organisation and the

functioning of the Office.

Moreover, the Council welcomed the advances made on the other articles (articles 17 to 33) which

have been discussed during the Latvian presidency but on which more work is still needed at expert

level.

The proposed regulation aims to help combat crimes against the Union's financial interests by

introducing a European Public Prosecutor's Office with competence in that area. The legal basis and

the rules for setting up the EPPO are laid down in article 86 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the

European Union (TFEU). The proposed regulation will be adopted in accordance with a special

legislative procedure: the Council will decide unanimously after obtaining the consent of the

European Parliament.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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HOME AFFAIRS

Migratory issues

The Council discussed the different aspects of the Agenda on Migration and its implementation

package. Most delegations welcomed its comprehensive and cross-cutting nature, as well as its mix

of immediate actions to address the current crises and the proposed long-term measures that should

lead to the establishment of a true European migration policy.

As regards the concrete proposal on relocation, ministers stressed that on the basis of the principle

of solidarity they were all ready to make an effort to help member states under a particular

migratory pressure. Several delegations stressed the necessity to strike the right balance between

solidarity and responsibility.

Ministers invited the Council’s preparatory bodies to continue these discussions with the aim of

achieving full implementation as soon as possible. The presidency and the Commission will report

to the European Council on the results of these discussions.

The Council took note of the information provided by the presidency, the European Commission

and the European External Action Service on the state of play of the implementation of the

orientations set out in the statement adopted by the European Council on 23 April. As requested, the

presidency and the Commission will also inform the European Council on this issue.

Finding solutions to migratory pressures

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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Fight against terrorism

The Council discussed the implementation of the measures set out in the counter-terrorism

statement issued by EU heads of state or government in February following the terrorist attacks on

European soil.

Ministers took stock of the progress achieved in the implementation of measures and discussed and

exchanged ideas on how to take the agreed priorities forward on the basis of a report from the

presidency and from the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator.

Moreover, the European Commission presented its European Agenda on Security, issued on 28

April 2015, which includes counter-terrorism as a priority and supports a number of the directions

given by the heads of state or government.

Response to foreign fighters

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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Renewed European Union Internal Security Strategy

The Council adopted

conclusions

on the Renewed European Union Internal Security Strategy 2015-

2020.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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Any other business

The Council was informed about the state of play of a number of legislative proposals, including:

–

the directive on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data

by competent authorities for the purposes of prevention, investigation, detection or

prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties, and the free

movement of such data;

the regulation amending the regulation establishing a European Small Claims Procedure;

the directive on the strengthening of certain aspects of the presumption of innocence and of

the right to be present at trial in criminal proceedings;

the directive on procedural safeguards for children suspected or accused in criminal

proceedings;

the regulation establishing a European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training

(Cepol), repealing and replacing Council decision 2005/681/JHA;

the directive on provisional legal aid for suspects or accused persons deprived of liberty

and legal aid in European arrest warrant proceedings;

the directive on the fight against fraud to the Union's financial interests by means of

criminal law;

the directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the

purposes of research, studies, pupil exchange, remunerated and unremunerated training,

voluntary service and au pairing (recast);

the regulation on the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation and

Training (Europol) and repealing decisions 2009/371/JHA and 2005/681/JHA;

–

The Council took note of information from the presidency on the outcome of the EU-US JHA

ministerial meeting that took place in Riga on 2-3 June.

The Slovenian delegation informed the Council about the outcome of the Justice and Home Affairs

ministerial conference of the Brdo Process and South-East European Cooperation Process that took

place in Budva (Montenegro) on 16 and17 April 2015.

The Austrian delegation informed the Council about the outcome of the Salzburg Forum ministerial

conference that took place in St. Pölten (Austria) on 4 and 5 May 2015 and of the international

ministerial conference of foreign and interior ministers on "Tackling Jihadism Together" that took

place in Vienna on 20 March 2015.

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The Luxembourg ministers informed the Council about the upcoming Luxembourg EU presidency's

priorities in the area of Justice and Home Affairs, with regard to which the presidency intends to

work intensively in cooperation with the European Commission and the European Parliament.

The Luxembourg Minister of Justice thanked the Latvian presidency for the work accomplished. It

is the firm intention of the Luxembourg presidency to conclude the data protection reform before

the end of this year. Negotiations with the European Parliament on the data protection regulation

will start this month. In parallel to these negotiations, work in the Council on the data protection

directive in the law enforcement area will be accelerated with the aim to find a general approach in

October 2015.

The regulation setting up the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the directive on the protection of

the financial interests of the EU and the reform of Eurojust are important issues for the Luxembourg

presidency. The directives on procedural safeguards in criminal matters, the judicial cooperation in

family law and the free movement of public documents will also be a priority. For the Luxembourg

presidency it is also important to give a political signal in favour of the continuation of the

accession process of the EU to the European Convention of Human Rights.

The Luxembourg Minister for Migration and Asylum highlighted the work that the Luxembourg

presidency intends to carry out as regards the Commission's proposal for a European Agenda on

Migration. The Agenda on Migration will be handled as a package and work will be sequenced

according to short-term, medium-term and long-term priorities. In the context of the current

migratory pressure, the proposed instruments on relocation and resettlement will be dealt with as a

matter of urgency, in parallel to the work on return/readmission.

The Luxembourg Minister for Internal Security stressed the importance of the fight against

terrorism with special emphasis on foreign terrorist fighters and establishing an effective EU PNR

system, the fight against organised crime and the practical implementation of the Internal Security

Strategy 2015-2020 as important topics for the home affairs area in the upcoming six months.

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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OTHER ITEMS APPROVED

JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

e-Justice

The Council endorsed a set of

guidelines

for the implementation of the Multiannual European e-

Justice Action Plan 2014-2018.

e-Justice - cross-border videoconferencing

The Council adopted a set of recommendations (9206/15 +

COR 1)

to offer concrete guidelines for

the member states to improve the use of videoconferencing technology in the area of justice.

Ever since the first European e-Justice Action Plan 2009-2013, the use of videoconferencing

technology has been one of the key issues in the modernisation of justice at EU level. It was also

included in the Multiannual European e-Justice Action Plan 2014-2018 adopted in June 2014 in the

list of priority projects to be considered for implementation in the 2014-2018 period.

Genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes

The Council adopted conclusions (15584/2/14

REV 2)

on the fight against impunity for the crime of

genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes within the European Union and its member

states.

Europol - General report 2014

The Council endorsed the general

report

on Europol's activities in 2014 and forwarded it to the

European Parliament for information.

Protection against theft

The Council adopted

conclusions

concerning the introduction of mandatory standardised marking

of construction machinery and agricultural and forestry vehicles in order to better protect them

against theft

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Rådsmøde nr. 3396 (retlige og indre anliggender) den 15.-16. juni 2015 - Bilag 1335990:

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Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

The Council adopted two decisions authorising certain member states to accept, in the interest of the

European Union, the accession of

Andorra

and

Singapore

to the 1980 Hague Convention on the

Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Mobility Partnership EU-Belarus

The Council confirmed the agreement on the Joint Declaration establishing a Mobility Partnership

between Belarus and the European Union and its participating member states.

Mobility Partnerships are established in those cases where they can bring added value both to the

EU and the third country concerned on the management of migration flows.

Belarus is among the third countries with which the EU intends to develop cooperation in the area

of migration. Mobility Partnerships have already been established with a majority of countries

belonging to the Eastern Partnership (namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Republic of

Moldova).

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