State Secretary Martinović at the Justice and Home Affairs Council

State Secretary Juro Martinović attended the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union, held in Luxembourg on 7-8 October 2021

Justice ministers met on Thursday, 7 October, while the meeting of home affairs ministers is scheduled for Friday, 8 October 2021. 
 
The first day of the Council meeting included a debate on the material conditions in pre-trial detention facilities, procedural rights in pre-trial detention, and on the need to define and harmonize minimum standards for detention in national prison systems, all this with a view to strengthening mutual trust and improving judicial cooperation in criminal matters at EU level. 
 
Although the adoption of the Council Conclusions on the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child was planned, which would represent a comprehensive joint reaction of Member States to the Strategy and would underline the joint action of the Commission and the Member States in the implementation of the Strategy, Member States failed to agree on the proposed text of the Conclusions.
 
The topic of discussion over working lunch was the protection of journalists and civil society organisations from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP).
 
The European Commission reported on the results of its sixth evaluation of the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online and on the protection of judicial professionals, judges, lawyers, journalists and other persons involved in the Afghan judicial system.
 
In addition, the Council received an update about the latest developments regarding the setting up of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Luxembourg, and about the Conference on the Importance of the Ethical and Human Rights Aspects in the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence, held on 20 July 2021, in the light of the recent publication of the Proposal for a Regulation laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence.

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