Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The US-European Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Home Affairs took place at the Department of Homeland Security's headquarters in Washington, DC. According to a joint statement issued late Thursday evening, the meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of the European Union and the United States to a strong transatlantic partnership, at a time of major geopolitical challenges. The two sides expressed their determination to enhance cooperation in matters of justice and internal affairs, support democracy and enhance respect for the rule of law.
The United States and the European Union condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's ultimately unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine, and reaffirm their unequivocal commitment to work together to hold accountable those responsible for the atrocities committed in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The United States and the European Union support a range of international initiatives aimed at strengthening the investigation and prosecution of international crimes committed in Ukraine, as well as national investigations by Ukraine and third countries that can establish jurisdiction. These initiatives include the ongoing investigations by the ICC Prosecutor and the Joint Investigation Team set up with the support of Eurojust, as well as the work of the UN and OSCE and the work of the multinational teams of the Advisory Group on Atrocity Crimes assisting the Office of the Prosecutor of Ukraine. The United States and the European Union will continue to intensify cooperation, including with the relevant authorities of the European Union member states and Ukraine participating in the joint investigation team. The United States and the European Union further affirmed their strong commitment to support the work of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine in the investigation and evidence gathering, and commended the support of Eurojust, Europol, and the US Department of Justice's War Crimes Accountability Team in this effort.
The United States and the European Union intend to continue to work together for the full enforcement of sanctions, including by taking steps to prevent and punish sanctions evasion and circumvention, and by taking actions to forfeit assets associated with criminal activity such as sanctions evasion. The United States and the European Union have so far frozen large amounts of sanctioned Russian assets in financial accounts, economic resources, and assets of the Russian Central Bank.
The United States and the European Union intend to continue working together to support people fleeing the war in Ukraine. They reaffirmed their commitment to addressing security threats arising from the war, including the threat of firearms smuggling.
Terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms remains a significant security threat to the United States and the European Union and must be addressed with appropriate tools. Sharing information related to terrorism is essential to achieving this goal. The two sides agreed on a pilot project to exchange this information in a more systematic manner and assigned senior officials to evaluate the project at their next meeting in the first half of 2023. Everyone praised the operational work and the results of the continuous information exchange between the two countries. European Union agencies, US law enforcement and judicial authorities provided examples of this work.
The United States and the European Union emphasized the importance of sharing passenger name record (PNR) data as a key international tool for preventing terrorism and combating crime. The two sides expressed their mutual commitment to the continuous exchange of PNR data, with full respect for human rights, freedoms and the rule of law, and in furtherance of the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) on PNR established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In light of this, they strengthened their resolve to work together to address the findings and recommendations of the joint evaluation of the bilateral agreement.
The United States and the European Union affirmed their goal of resuming negotiations for the European Union and the United States. An agreement facilitating access to electronic evidence for the purpose of cooperation in criminal matters at the beginning of 2023, following the interim agreement reached on EU internal rules on electronic evidence. The United States and the European Union committed to strengthen cooperation against transnational organized crime networks, particularly those involved in the illicit manufacture and trafficking of narcotic drugs such as cocaine, synthetic opioids, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and new psychoactive substances.
The European Union and the United States have committed to further strengthening cooperation against environmental crime, including through the development of cooperation tools and mechanisms for the exchange of information and best practices, as well as via Eurojust where possible. They have committed to identify potential joint operational activities and investigations in areas of marine and marine pollution, such as ship source pollution, protection of marine biodiversity, and crimes involving transboundary shipping of waste.
The European Union and the United States welcomed the progress made by the three EU member states that have not yet joined the Visa Waiver Program and confirmed their willingness to continue efforts in the context of the trilateral process and bilateral discussions. Both sides agreed on the importance of mutual visa-free travel under their respective legal frameworks.
They discussed the enhanced border security partnership of the United States and the value of sharing bilateral information under this program. They also expressed their intention to discuss future cooperation at the EU level.
Affirming their joint commitment to progress together towards common solutions in all these areas areas, the United States and the European Union decided to meet again in the first half of 2023 in Stockholm.
The United States was represented at the meeting, which took place Thursday in Washington, by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N Mayorkas and US Attorney General Merrick Garland. The European Union was represented by Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, as well as Czech Ministers of Justice Pavel Placek and Interior Minister Vet Rakoshan.