Yesterday, 9 October, the Justice and Home Affairs Council under the Italian EU-Presidency took place in Luxembourg. The provisional press release of the Council has been made available. It concludes that: The Council had an in-depth discussion on the issue of foreign fighters, as requested by the European Council in August 2014, on the basis of a document prepared by the Presidency in cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Coordinator. Angelino ALFANO, Italian Minister for the Interior and President of the Council said: "Ministers agreed on the urgency of making progress on the EU PNR directive and called on the European Parliament to adopt its position to start negotiations with the Council and finalise the work as soon as possible.” To view the entire provisional press release, please click here.
At the meeting, Eurojust President Michèle Coninsx commented on the role of Eurojust in combating serious cross-border crime. She underlined that “Eurojust is fully involved in and adheres to the priorities of the EU policy cycle. In practice, this includes the use of joint investigation teams and the European Arrest Warrant, to combat these crimes. It also means focusing on strategic meetings, such as the one on drug trafficking recently held at Eurojust. Our work depends on international cooperation, across multiple jurisdictions. Eurojust assists in identifying the bottlenecks in the judicial systems for such cross-border justice, to identify the correct evidence guaranteeing its admissibility, and recommends which Member State is in a better position to prosecute. Only then will we overcome impunity, only then can we ensure convictions and make justice work as a deterrent against serious, organised cross-border crimes.”
Click here for Eurojust’s earlier announcement regarding yesterday's JHA Council Meeting.
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