- Published: 11.10.2024.
Ministar Habijan at JHA Council in Luxembourg
Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan participated in the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union on 11 October 2024
As part of the legislative deliberations, the presidency informed the Council on current legislative proposals.
Among the non-legislative activities presented was the state of play regarding the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, which remain significant challenges for the EU. These criminal activities threaten the security of European citizens, affect businesses and institutions, undermine the economy and the rule of law, and challenge democratic governance.
It also presented the state of play of the fight against impunity in relation to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, i.e. the activities of the International Criminal Court, the Joint Investigation Team, the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine, Eurojust and Europol. Croatia welcomes this topic as a continued item on the agenda of the JHA Council and will continue to assist Ukraine in the fight against impunity through the exchange of experiences on the investigation and prosecution of war crimes.
Ministers exchanged views on fostering access to justice in the context of the rule of law and competitiveness, which is a fundamental right and an essential element of the rule of law. In recent years, discussions have taken place in the JHA Council on access to justice, focusing primarily on individuals’ access to the justice system.
The Republic of Croatia has been improving the transparency, clarity and accessibility of legislation and legal information through, inter alia, digitalisation and digital platforms, as well as the current NRRP project ‘Development of a toolkit for the publication and search of court decisions’. Alternative dispute resolution is also a useful tool in the context of access to justice, with a long-standing existence in the legislative and institutional framework of the Republic of Croatia.
There was also an exchange of views on the fight against racism, i.e. the report on the implementation of the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan. The European Union is built on the principle of unity in diversity. Any discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin undermines the very structure that holds the Union together. Croatia welcomed the Report, and although it does not have a separate action plan for combating racism, many other strategic documents address the problems covered by the measures of the Action Plan.
The presidency also briefed the Council on developments in the field of the fight against antisemitism, the 2024 EU Annual report on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and the negotiations between the EU and the US on an e-evidence agreement. The Slovak Republic presented information related to the 2024 Rule of Law Report, and the presidency presented information on the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs.
Among the non-legislative activities presented was the state of play regarding the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, which remain significant challenges for the EU. These criminal activities threaten the security of European citizens, affect businesses and institutions, undermine the economy and the rule of law, and challenge democratic governance.
It also presented the state of play of the fight against impunity in relation to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, i.e. the activities of the International Criminal Court, the Joint Investigation Team, the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine, Eurojust and Europol. Croatia welcomes this topic as a continued item on the agenda of the JHA Council and will continue to assist Ukraine in the fight against impunity through the exchange of experiences on the investigation and prosecution of war crimes.
Ministers exchanged views on fostering access to justice in the context of the rule of law and competitiveness, which is a fundamental right and an essential element of the rule of law. In recent years, discussions have taken place in the JHA Council on access to justice, focusing primarily on individuals’ access to the justice system.
The Republic of Croatia has been improving the transparency, clarity and accessibility of legislation and legal information through, inter alia, digitalisation and digital platforms, as well as the current NRRP project ‘Development of a toolkit for the publication and search of court decisions’. Alternative dispute resolution is also a useful tool in the context of access to justice, with a long-standing existence in the legislative and institutional framework of the Republic of Croatia.
There was also an exchange of views on the fight against racism, i.e. the report on the implementation of the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan. The European Union is built on the principle of unity in diversity. Any discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin undermines the very structure that holds the Union together. Croatia welcomed the Report, and although it does not have a separate action plan for combating racism, many other strategic documents address the problems covered by the measures of the Action Plan.
The presidency also briefed the Council on developments in the field of the fight against antisemitism, the 2024 EU Annual report on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights and the negotiations between the EU and the US on an e-evidence agreement. The Slovak Republic presented information related to the 2024 Rule of Law Report, and the presidency presented information on the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs.