Priorities of the Home Affairs Council (JHA) - Press Note

Priorities of the Justice Council (JHA) Press Note

The Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU i aims to keep the citizen at the centre of the work to be carried out by EU Justice Ministers during the first semester of 2017. The Maltese Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government, Owen Bonnici, made this point as he outlined the planned work programme of the Maltese Presidency in the field of Justice during the final Justice and Home Affairs (Justice) Council meeting under the Slovak Presidency on 8 December 2016.

In prioritising draft legislation which brings concrete results to citizens, Minister Bonnici stated that the Maltese Presidency will put special emphasis on two Proposals which will remove barriers with regards to the sale of Digital Content and the Online Sales of Goods. “Both are very relevant to consumers as well as businesses and hence, we wil endeavour to take forward discussions on these Proposals”, added Minister Bonnici.

The Maltese Presidency will also initiate discussions on the recent Proposal on Business Insolvency, which should provide tools to allow viable businesses in distress to be rescued and honest entrepreneurs to be given a second chance.

Following on from the General Data Protection Regulation, the Maltese Presidency will also endeavour to proceed in a steady manner on the discussion regarding the revision of the

Regulation on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the EU institutions and bodies, once this is issued. Discussions will also be taken forward on the Proposal revising the “Brussels IIA” Regulation, which aims to simplify procedures and costs relating to cross-border litigation relating to children.

In keeping with its priority of pushing for better Social Inclusion, the Maltese Presidency will continue to give importance to the fight against gender-based violence and will devote attention to finalising the European Commission’s Proposal for a Council Decision on the EU’s accession to the Istanbul Convention. On the EU’s accession to the European Court of Human Rights, the Maltese Presidency will seek to follow up on the work done by previous Presidencies.

Turning to criminal law, Minister Bonnici noted that Security is one of the Maltese Presidency’s six main priorities and that work on the Fight against Terrorism will therefore be high on the Justice Council’s agenda. In this regard, the Maltese Presidency will see to the final adoption of the Directive on combating terrorism following the recent Council agreement. In line with the Commission Action Plan for Strengthening the Fight Against Terrorist Financing, the Maltese Presidency will also initiate discussions on the upcoming proposals relating to the harmonisation of money laundering criminal offences and sanctions, and on the strengthening of mutual recognition of criminal assets’ freezing and confiscation orders.

Depending upon the presentation by the Commission of the new Proposal on the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS), the Maltese Presidency also stands ready to guide the discussions so as to move ahead efficiently.

Finally, the fight against fraud to the EU’s financial interests will remain an important element of the Justice Council’s work in the upcoming Semester. In this regard, the Maltese Presidency will continue with necessary work in relation to the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, as well as the related revision of the Eurojust Decision.

Minister Bonnici concluded by stating that he is certain that he will be able to count on the support of all his colleagues in the busy upcoming semester: “It is a challenging agenda to take forward but I am convinced we can make important progress, to the benefit of our citizens, our businesses, and our societies.”