Meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council

The meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council will take place on 7-8 October 2021 in Luxembourg. Justice ministers will meet on Thursday, 7 October, and home affairs ministers will meet on Friday, 8 October 2021.

On Thursday, 7 October 2021, Minister of Justice Marjan Dikaučič will chair the EU i Justice and Home Affairs Council. The session will begin with a working lunch on the subject of the protection of journalists and rights defenders against abuse (the so-called anti-SLAPP legislation) with the Vice-President of the European Commission Věra Jourová i.

The ministers will discuss the Council Conclusions on the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, which address not only the rights of the child in the judiciary but also the aspect of children’s rights in the development and use of digital tools, as well as the right of all children to social inclusion and non-discrimination. The Council will also take stock of the state of play of the activities related to the functioning of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, with a focus on the EPPO’s relations with third countries and international partners.

One of the key topics of the meeting will be pre-trial detention. The ministers will discuss the minimum standards with a view to strengthening mutual trust between EU member states and possible future initiatives at EU level that would lead to improved detention conditions and encourage the use of alternative measures.

The agenda of the meeting of home affairs ministers, chaired by Aleš Hojs, Minister of the Interior, will include a discussion on the challenges of screening third-country nationals at the external borders and the migration situation along the various migratory routes. Information on the situation in Afghanistan will also be provided at the meeting. Furthermore, the ministers will discuss the digital aspect of the investigation of child sexual abuse. At a working lunch, the European Commission will present the state of play of the interoperability project.

More information on the agenda and outcomes of the meeting is available on the website of the Council of the European Union.