Brussels, 8 March 2023
Tomorrow, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, will participate in the meeting of interior ministers which will take place in Brussels.
The agenda will focus on the current situation of the Schengen area, the interoperability of information systems and the entry into operation of the renewed Schengen Information System which was announced yesterday. In the afternoon, ministers will discuss the challenges of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its implications on the EU’s internal security. They will also take stock of the progress made on asylum and migration following up to the Special European Council of 9 February 2023, both on the operational actions as well as on the Pact negotiations.
A press conference with Commissioner Johansson will take place at +/- 17:45 CET and will be live on EbS.
On Friday, Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, will participate in the meeting of justice ministers. In the morning, they will discuss the fight against impunity regarding international war crimes committed in connection with Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Commissioner will have the opportunity to debrief ministers on the main takeaways of the United for Justice Conference that took place last week in Lviv.
Ministers will also discuss the progress on the Commission’s proposals to harmonise criminal offences at EU level and penalties for the violation of EU restrictive measures. Commissioner Johansson will join Commissioner Reynders and justice ministers to discuss the Commission’s proposal for new reinforced rules on asset recovery and confiscation, as well as the threat of drug-related organised crime.
In the afternoon, ministers will discuss the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the civic space, and the next steps on combating racism and antisemitism. As part of the discussion on the Rule of Law, they will also exchange views on barriers to access to justice and how to overcome them. Following the EDPB opinion, Commissioner Reynders will also update ministers on the state of play on the process for adopting a new adequacy decision for safe data flows with the US.
Commissioner Reynders will take part in the press conference after the meeting, which can be followed live on EbS at +/- 17:15 CET.
Source – EU Commission