At today's meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, agreement was reached on the substance in the Stockholm Programme. A few questions of wording remain. The ministers also agreed on an action plan for how the EU can strengthen cooperation with countries of origin in order to fight human trafficking.

Stockholm Programme

Yesterday the home affairs and migration ministers discussed the Stockholm Programme and the discussion continued today among the justice ministers. At today's meeting most of the ministers stressed the importance of the Stockholm Programme for citizens in the EU. The Council is now agreed on the main substance. A small number of issues of wording remain before the Programme can finally be adopted.

At yesterday's meeting there was a consensus among the home affairs and migration ministers that the EU needs a flexible migration policy to meet future labour needs, while illegal migration must be combated. Further, the issue of strengthened solidarity between the Member States on migration issues and the situation in the Mediterranean was also addressed.

The proposed Stockholm Programme strikes a balance between better law enforcement and measures for legal rights and enhanced protection of private life. Examples of the first kind of measure are more effective police cooperation by making better use of Europol and a more carefully considered plan for future information exchange. Examples of the second kind of measure are the EU’s rapid accession to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, giving the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights a role during the legislative process, a plan for gradually strengthening the minimum rights of defendants in criminal cases, giving greater emphasis to the rights of victims of crime, and more effective regulations on data protection.

“Our ambition in the Stockholm Programme has been to create a more secure and more open Europe, where the rights of the individual are protected and cooperation focuses on measures that provide added value for individuals. As we now approach the end of the negotiations, I feel I can confidently claim we have succeeded,” says Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask.

The Stockholm Programme will be adopted by the heads of state and government at the European Council on 10-11 December.
 

EU continues fight against sexual abuse of children and child pornography

The Council received a progress report on the work to combat the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography. This work covers increased lowest maximum penalties, disqualifying those convicted of these crimes from activities involving regular contact with children and blocking websites that feature child pornography. The subject is a priority for many Member States and a lot of the work to reach an agreement has been completed.

EU strengthens cooperation against human trafficking

Human trafficking is a serious crime that does not stop at the EU's borders. At the Council meeting the ministers adopted an action plan for how the EU shall strengthen relations and cooperation with countries of origin and transit for human trafficking.

The action plan provides the guidelines for the work to strengthen partnerships with third countries, to improve coordination in the EU through regular reviews of the measures taken, and to develop measures for crime prevention, victim protection and combating crime.

Transfer of criminal proceedings

At the Council meeting the ministers discussed how far a Member State shall extend its jurisdiction for crimes that have been committed outside its territory. The purpose of extending its jurisdiction is to be able to receive legal proceedings from another country. Transfer of proceedings occurs because it is sometimes more appropriate to put a suspect on trial in the country where he or she lives or will serve a prison sentence instead of in the country where the legal proceedings were opened.

The idea of increased cooperation on this area is to increase predictability and strengthen legal security. The work also becomes more efficient if parallel investigations into the same crime can be avoided. The Council will adopt its final position on the proposal on transfer of proceedings at a later date, provided that agreement can be reached on the proposal as a whole.