EU and USA discuss justice and home affairs in Helsinki

Senior EU and US officials responsible for justice and home affairs meet in Helsinki on 18 July. The agenda for the meeting comprises, among other things, anti-terrorist measures relating to terrorism recruitment and financing. In addition, the EU and US experts discus Internet-based activities of extremist organisations.

The meeting is attended besides by the Finnish Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior also by officials from the USA, the next holder of the EU Presidency i.e. Germany, the European Commission, Eurojust and Europol. The aim of this informal meeting is to prepare for the coming EU-US ministerial meeting in Washington in November.

The negotiations involve immigration policy and visa issues. Discussion items comprise, among other things, passenger lists and issues relating to the safety of travel documents, such as electronic passports, lost or stolen passports and passport data bases.

In the field of justice, the EU and US senior officials discuss, among other things, respect for human rights in fighting terror, organised crime and corruption. As a result of the judgement by the EC Court of Justice in May, the meeting also discusses the state of play of the new agreement between the EU and the USA on transfer of air passenger data.

The meeting agenda also comprises the state of play in the negotiations for an agreement between Eurojust and the USA. This agreement involves EU-US authority cooperation in exchange of information and data protection issues. The negotiations have been lengthy, but now an agreement is within sight.

Eurojust has already concluded similar agreements with Iceland and Norway, while the negotiations with Russia are still in progress. Eurojust is a European Union body established in 2002 to facilitate judicial co-operation and coordination between Member States in dealing with the investigation and prosecution of serious cross-border crime.

More information: Director-General, Ministry of the Interior, Mr Antti Pelttari, tel. +358 9 160 42290, E-mail: forename.surname@intermin.fi

EU Co-ordinator, Ministry of Justice, Mr Matti Joutsen, tel. +358 9 160 67778, Mobile +358 (0)50 374 0497,E-mail: forename.surname@om.fi