Meeting: Justice and Home Affairs Council, 3-4 March 2014

A meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council was held in Brussels on 03-04 March 2014. The conclusions included the following topics:

+ Information on the development and trends concerning migratory flows towards Europe;

+ Briefing on the progress achieved by the Task Force for the Mediterranean;

+ Policy debate on the proposal for a regulation on the European Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation and Training (Europol), in which it was visible the opposition of the majority of member states regarding the merger Europol and CEPOL (European Police College) and the need to update the existing CEPOL decision in the light of the treaties post-Lisbon;

+ Information about the agreements reached with the European Parliament on a number of legislative proposals, including the regulation establishing rules for the surveillance of the external sea borders in the context of operational cooperation coordinated by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) and the directive on conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals in the framework of an intra-corporate transfer;

+ Presentation on the main aspects of a forthcoming communication on the future development of the Justice and Home Affairs area;

+ Policy debate on certain issues of the proposal for a regulation setting out a general EU framework for data protection;

+ Policy debate on the proposal regarding the setting up of a European Public Prosecutor's Office;

+ Policy debate on the proposal for a directive on procedural safeguards for children who are suspected or accused in criminal proceedings;

+ Conclusions on the civil and commercial justice systems of the member states;

+ Information about the agreements reached with the European Parliament on a number of legislative proposals, including: the regulation establishing rules for the surveillance of the external sea borders in the context of operational cooperation coordinated by the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex),the directive on conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals in the framework of an intra-corporate transfer, the directive on the protection of the euro and others currencies against counterfeiting by criminal law, the regulation creating a European Account Preservation Order to facilitate cross border debt recovery in civil and commercial matters and the regulation amending regulation 1215/2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (the so-called 'Brussels I' regulation).

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Council authorises member states to ratify the Arms Trade Treaty http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-council-authorises-member-states-to-ratifythe-arms-trade-treaty/

European Commission: RAPID: MEMO/14/144: Justice and Home Affairs Council 3-4 March 2014 in Brussels http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-144_en.pdf

ESO: Background information: Justice for growth: Member States endorse Commission proposal to fill legal gaps for unitary patent protection http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-justice-for-growth-member-states-endorse-commission-proposal-to-fill-legal-gaps-for-unitary-patent-protection/

Council of the European Union: Conclusions on the civil and commercial justice systems of the Member States http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/jha/141307.pdf

ESO: Background information: The EU data protection Regulation: Promoting technological innovation and safeguarding citizens' rights http://www.europeansources.info/record/speech-the-eu-data-protection-regulation-promoting-technological-innovation-and-safeguarding-citizens-rights/

ESO: Background information: European Public Prosecutor's Office: Commission proposal gains momentum http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-european-public-prosecutors-office-commission-proposal-gains-momentum-2/

ESO: Background information: EU and Tunisia establish their Mobility Partnership http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-eu-and-tunisia-establish-their-mobility-partnership/

ESO: Background information: Council approves new rules on deposit guarantee schemes http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-council-approves-new-rules-on-deposit-guarantee-schemes/

---