State Secretary Ivan Crnčec at JHA Council in Luxembourg

On 12 June 2025, State Secretary Ivan Crnčec attended the meeting of the Council of the European Union (Justice) on behalf of the Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation.

As part of the legislative deliberations, a partial general approach was adopted for the Adults Protection Regulation, which aims to improve the cross-border protection of adults and to ensure that movement within the EU respects their right to individual autonomy, including the freedom to make their own choices as regards their person.

A general approach was also adopted for the Directive harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law, which aims to contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market and to remove obstacles to the exercise of fundamental freedoms, such as the free movement of capital and the freedom of establishment, arising from differences in national insolvency laws and procedures.

Furthermore, the Presidency informed the Council about current legislative proposals.

Among the non-legislative activities, the state of play of the EU’s accession to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and the state of play of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) (the process of replacing European Prosecutors from 7 Member States and the European Chief Prosecutor) were presented.

The topic of the working lunch was the retention of electronic communications data. The Polish Presidency invited the ministers of justice to informally address together the sensitive issue of "legal access to real-time communication data" or "legal interception of communications" for the purpose of criminal investigations.

The fight against impunity in relation to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a permanent topic of the Council. Croatia is committed to ensuring accountability for international crimes committed and has called for the fight against impunity since the very beginning of the aggression. Croatia actively participated in the work of the Core Group for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and provided political support for the establishment of the Special Ttribunal at the ministerial meeting of the Core Group in May 2025 in Lviv. Croatia further assists Ukraine through the exchange of experiences on the investigation and prosecution of war crimes. 

Strengthening judicial cooperation with third countries in the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime is essential to facilitate prosecution, bring members of criminal networks to justice and dismantle organised crime networks. Member State staff are encouraged to continue participating in relevant activities, e.g. meetings of judicial networks and focus groups supported by Eurojust.

The Presidency informed the Council about the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs ministerial meeting, which took place in Warsaw on 2-3 June 2025, and about the agreement on e-evidence.

Lithuania shared information on strengthening the EU’s democratic resilience, namely the importance of promoting common European remembrance and resistance to historical revisionism, while Denmark presented its workplan for the incoming Presidency. Slovenia provided information on the sanctions taken by the United States against judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC).


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