Minister of Justice meets with German and Slovenian counterparts
Francisca Van Dunem met today, by videoconference, with the Ministers of Justice of Germany and Slovenia in the context of the so-called Trio Presidency of the Council of the European Union (Germany - Portugal - Slovenia).
Representative picture of the Trio of Presidencies with the flags of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss matters of common interest, present the balance of the Portuguese Presidency and take stock of the state of play regarding the negotiating items carried over to the Slovenian Presidency.
Work on the "electronic evidence" package was indicated as a matter to be continued. This package is currently being negotiated in trilogues with the European Parliament and is seen as legislation of fundamental importance for obtaining and preserving evidence in a digital environment in another State and also for the investigation of crime, terrorism and other serious crimes.
The proposal for a Regulation on Digital Services is another matter that deserves particular attention by the Ministers of Justice, given the relevant aspects for this area, namely, on the one hand, the issue of publishing certain content online, which may have implications for the sexual abuse of children, terrorist propaganda, the supply of counterfeit products that are harmful to public health and, on the other hand, issues related to freedom of expression.
Francisca Van Dunem also referred to priority areas of the Portuguese Presidency, namely the digitalisation of justice, the protection of vulnerable adults and counterfeiting and its links with organised crime, presenting the results obtained and stressing the need to continue to look into these issues in greater depth.
She recalled that the Commission is expected to present a legislative initiative on artificial intelligence, negotiations on which may start during the Slovenian Presidency, alerting on the challenges it poses from the perspective of ensuring fundamental rights, including the guarantee of a fair trial and by an impartial court, which ensures that the decision remains with the judge, even if supported by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
The German Minister of Justice welcomed the excellent functioning of the Trio of Presidencies so far, thanked Portugal for the many advances achieved in various areas and expressed her readiness to continue to support the new Slovenian Presidency.
The Slovenian Minister of Justice in turn presented his priorities for the six-month Presidency, namely the theme of child-friendly justice and Artificial Intelligence in Justice, taking the opportunity to thank the Slovenian Presidency for holding this meeting, for the excellent work carried out by the Portuguese Presidency during the six-month period, and for the support expressed by his colleagues from Germany and Portugal.
Ministers will meet again on 16 July in Brdo Pri Kranju, Slovenia, on the occasion of the Informal Council of Ministers of Justice of the European Union.
Access more information on the Slovenia Presidency.
Access more information on the Trio of Presidencies.