Justice and Home Affairs
The Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council usually meets every two months and brings together Ministers of Justice and Ministers of the Interior. During its Presidency, Finland will hold three meetings of the JHA Council. They shall be chaired by Leena Luhtanen, Minister of Justice, and Kari Rajamäki, Minister of the Interior.
The implementation of the Hague Programme will be assessed during Finland’s EU Presidency. The multiannual programme aims at strengthening the area of freedom, security and justice within the European Union. The Hague Programme is based on the programme adopted at the Tampere European Council in 1999.
During Finland’s EU Presidency, the intention is to formulate and define political guidelines on future cooperation in the fields of Justice and Home Affairs. The progress achieved in the implementation of the Hague Programme will be evaluated to identify areas requiring further action. At the same time, consideration will also be given to improving the way in which decisions are made on police and judicial cooperation.
Main issues
Justice
Objectives in relation to justice issues include effective implementation of adopted decisions and better cooperation among the authorities of Member States. All in all, judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters within the EU is to be deepened. Attention will also be focused on respect for human and fundamental rights in connection with anti-terrorist measures.
Priority will be given to projects promoting the principle of mutual recognition. This means that judgments and other judicial decisions made in one Member State should be enforced as such in an implementing Member State.
Home affairs
In home issues, priority will be given to projects promoting the establishment of a common European asylum system and political guidelines on the control of the EU’s external border. Preparations will be made for Schengen enlargement during Finland’s Presidency on the basis of various evaluations and reports.
Discussions will be opened during Finland’s Presidency on comprehensive joint action and responsibility for the EU’s immigration, asylum and border security policies. The discussions will cover the granting of international protection to those entitled to it, more concrete burden sharing on issues relating to illegal immigration and asylum, and verifiable adherence to commonly agreed rules.
Meetings
The informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for justice and home affairs, to be held in Tampere in September, will discuss the Hague Programme.
Finland will also host several civil servant meetings with a focus on justice and home affairs. The Best Practices Conference of the European Crime Prevention Network will take place in Hämeenlinna and the European Judicial Network will convene in Rovaniemi.
The Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum (SCIFA) will meet in Kuusamo and Directors-General for Civil Protection in Lahti. The meeting of ASEM Directors-General for the Management of migratory flows between Europe and Asia will take place in Kuopio.
Organised crime, terrorism, corruption and strengthening of the rule of law are among the issues to be discussed at the ASEM 6 Summit to be held in Helsinki in September.
More on this website:
- Other document, 07 Sep 2006, 10:41
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Agenda, Informal JHA Ministerial Meeting, Tampere, 20-22 September 2006 - Other document, 06 Sep 2006, 16:34
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Follow-up to the mutual recognition programme: Difficulties in negotiating legislative instruments on the mutual recognition of judicial decisions in criminal matters, and possible solutions - Other document, 06 Sep 2006, 16:25
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Improvement of decision-making in justice and home affairs - Other document, 06 Sep 2006, 16:21
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Follow-up to the mutual recognition programme: Facilitating access to justice and better regulation in civil justice - Other document, 07 Sep 2006, 10:56
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Combating terrorism and organised crime - Other document, 07 Sep 2006, 10:54
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Migration management; extended European solidarity in immigration, border control and asylum policies - Other document, 07 Sep 2006, 10:51
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Development of the EU’s integrated management system for external borders; border management strategy - Other document, 23 Aug 2006, 17:04
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Letter by the Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications, Susanna Huovinen, and the Minister of Interior, Kari Rajamäki, to their colleagues - Other document, 08 Aug 2006, 11:40
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Letter of invitation to the informal ministerial meeting on Justice and Home Affairs - Other document, 28 Jun 2006, 15:10
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Letter by the Minister of Justice, Leena Luhtanen, and the Minister of Interior, Kari Rajamäki, to their colleagues
Links:
Council of the European Union: Justice and Home Affairs
European Commission: Justice and Home Affairs
European Commission: Area of freedom, security and justice
European Crime Prevention Network
European Police Office (EUROPOL)
Europa: Frontex, the EU's external-border management agency
European Parliament: Committee of Legal Affairs (JURI)
European Parliament: Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)
