Overeenstemming over gezamenlijke aanpak drughandel (en)

The JHA will approve the creation of a law enforcement ‘Erasmus’ in order to improve cooperation

A European agreement to combat international drug trafficking, the launch of an “Erasmus” programme to improve cooperation and coordination on police matters and measures to improve the control and safety of explosives are just some of the agreements expected to be reached by justice and interior ministers attending Friday's meeting.

The JHA council meeting will only one last day and will take place in Brussels instead of Luxembourg, as initially planned, due to transport problems caused by the Eyjafjallajokull eruption.

Chaired by Spain's Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba (Minister of the Interior) and Francisco Caamaño (Minister of Justice), the meeting will also approve a negotiating mandate to speed up negotiations with the US on the exchange of financial data and the fight against terrorism.

The Spanish ministers will also brief the council on the details of the EU-USA meeting held during the first week of April in Madrid, during which it was agreed to negotiate a new agreement on the exchange of financial data and information on airline passengers that “respects Europe's tradition of freedom and data protection”. If the talks progress according to schedule, an agreement could be reached by the autumn.

An agreement with regard to cocaine and heroin.

With regard to drug trafficking, an agreement focussing mainly on cocaine and heroin is expected to be reached. This same agreement could be used as a model for future agreements on other narcotics.

The pact establishes the common principles of the fight against this problem and defines commitments to disrupt cocaine and heroin trafficking routes and prevent traffickers from receiving financial gains. The agreement will detail specific measures for each of these commitments, together with an implementation timetable.

Ministers will also discuss the initiative put forward by the Spanish Presidency to establish a European directive to protect the victims of crime, and to guarantee their safety in any member country

Other items on the agenda include the signing of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the creation of a European justice portal.