The Council adopted an updated list of 13 projects to be undertaken under PESCO. Today’s decision brings to 47 the number of projects that are currently in place.

Five of the new projects focus on training, covering areas such as cyber, diving, tactical, medical as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence (CBRND) training. Other projects focus on enhancing EU collaborative actions as well as on capability development on sea, air and space.

The Council formally adopted the first set of 17 projects on 6 March 2018 and the second set of 17 projects on 20 November 2018.

Background

On 11 December 2017, the Council adopted a decision establishing Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). PESCO enables EU member states to work more closely together in the area of security and defence. This permanent framework for defence cooperation allows willing and able member states to develop jointly defence capabilities, invest in shared projects, and enhance the operational readiness and contribution of their armed forces.

The 25 member states participating in PESCO are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.

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The nine EU Justice and Home Affairs Agencies are marking the 10-year anniversary of the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights by pledging to continue to respect and promote fundamental rights throughout the work.

‘The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction contributes to a healthier and more secure Europe by enabling better informed decisions and actions on drugs. Protecting fundamental rights is a priority for our work and all our activities are underpinned by the principles embodied in the Charter.’

The agencies have agreed to continue to promote and protect fundamental rights throughout their work. This includes ensuring their work always complies with the Charter.

They will continue to uphold fundamental rights in their working practices such as promoting gender equality and diversity at work.

They will also run awareness raising activities, staff training, joint activities to increase awareness about the Charter and its entitlements.

In addition, they will continue to build and enhance their capacity to respect the Charter by sharing and exchanging best practices. This will form part of their regular network meetings of Justice and Home Affairs Agencies, chaired this year by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

The nine agencies are the: European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA); European Asylum Support Office (EASO);European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex); European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE); European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA); European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol);European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL);European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA); European Union Judicial Cooperation Unit (EUROJUST).

It builds on a previous commitment by all EU agencies to strengthen fundamental rights’ protection in their work. Read the statement in full here.

The statement is being released during the 2019 Conference on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rightsto mark 10 years of the Charter. The event is organised by the European Commission and the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU and FRA. It takes place in Brussels on 12 November.

For more information about the JHA Agencies Network, please visit Europol’s website.

Members of the European Parliament and parliamentarians of 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries will meet in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of the ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly, from 17 to 21 November 2019.

The formal opening of the session will take place on Tuesday 19 November and will be co-chaired by Carlos Zorrinho, Portuguese MEP and Joseph Owana Kono, member from Cameroon.

The opening session will be followed by a debate with Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International cooperation and development.

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame will address the session on Wednesday 20 November. Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs for Finland, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the EU, will make a statement followed by a debate on Thursday 21 November.

On the morning of Sunday 17 November, members will be able to make field visits.

Two visits have been planned. The first group will visit a “modern village” which is sheltering 240 families displaced from areas at high risk of environmental disaster in the Kigali region, in the district of Nyarugenge. There will also be a visit to a hydroelectric substation in Nyamirambo in the district of Nyarugenge, funded by the European Union to increase Rwanda’s electricity capacity.

The second group will visit a horticultural project in Gishari in Rwamagana district in the Southern Province.

On Sunday 17 November, the members will also meet with Rwandan youth during the Youth Conference.

Media can film and conduct interviews on the spot.

Media accreditation :

communications2019@parliament.gouv.rw

Click here to find the programme of the event.

#ACPEU

#ACPEURWANDA

Joint press release with Serbia

​Belgrade, 12 November 2019

The potential for enhanced operational and strategic judicial cooperation and the sharing of information and evidence between Eurojust and Serbia have been made possible today by the signing of a cooperation agreement.

Photos © Danilo Polovina, Book of Life.

The signing ceremony took place in Belgrade. The Minister of Justice of Serbia, Nela Kuburović, and the President of Eurojust, Ladislav Hamran, signed the agreement, which will enter into force after all requirements have been fulfilled.

Mr Hamran said: ‘I am very pleased to conclude this cooperation agreement with one of our key partners in the Western Balkans. Closer ties will help to make Europe safer. Serbia can benefit from our practical cooperation tools in the prosecution of serious cross-border crime cases. Cooperation and mutual trust can lead to a more successful fight against crime in the region.’

Ms Kuburović said: ‘The Republic of Serbia has significantly strengthened its capacities in combatting transnational organised crime by signing a Cooperation Agreement with Eurojust, particularly bearing in mind that crime and criminals do not respect or recognise national borders. Therefore, close cross-border cooperation and effective exchange of information between competent Serbian authorities and our esteemed European partners are vital and essential elements for determined action against this form of crime.

On the other hand, by adopting the new Law on Personal Data Protection, as a prerequisite for concluding the Cooperation Agreement, the Republic of Serbia has fully aligned its legislation with corresponding European Union regulations and directives, hence taking a step forward towards the European membership within the EU accession process.’

Eurojust has already signed cooperation agreements with three States in the Western Balkans: North Macedonia (2008), Montenegro (2016) and Albania (2018). The cooperation agreement with Albania entered into force at the beginning of this month.  (Click on image to enlarge).

In the period from January 2015 through the end of October 2019:

• Serbia and Eurojust worked together on 143 cases involving serious organised crime, with offences ranging from money laundering, drug trafficking, swindling and fraud, to crimes against life, limb and personal freedom;
• Serbia attended 23 Eurojust coordination meetings; and
• Serbia participated in six joint investigation teams, most of which involved drug trafficking cases.

Number of Eurojust cases involving Serbia:

Most frequent crime types in cases involving Serbia, 2015-2019 (Jan-Oct):

With today’s agreement, Serbia will be able to share personal data and evidence with prosecutors and investigators from all over Europe. The agreement also creates the possibility to appoint a Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust in the near future to improve cooperation.

Eurojust now has cooperation agreements with 12 countries. (Click on image to enlarge).

 

Answers to (EU) No 2015-2452 procedures formats and templates of the solvency and financial condition report