Minister of Justice met with Vice President of the European Commission

The exchange of views addressed the Rule of Law in the European Union and the chapter on Portugal in the 2021 Report, as well as the issue on the application of Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty to situations in some Member States.

The Minister of Justice reported on the commitment to improve and strengthen Portugal’s position in this regard, also taking stock of the situation on the reforms and investments to be carried out within the framework of the RRP to improve the efficiency of the justice system, as well as the new approach to preventing and combating corruption.

The Union’s media policy, in particular the protection of journalists and human rights defenders from abusive litigation, was also discussed and there was a shared view on the need to maintain freedom of expression and the existence of free and plural media, understood as crucial to the functioning of European democracies.

The Minister of Justice has shown interest in negotiating the draft Law on the Freedom of the Press, announced by the Commission, but has referred that a balance must be struck between freedom of expression and access to justice, so that any solution that may be found should empower national courts to achieve the desired results, without prejudice to the applicants’ legitimate rights of access to justice.

The occasion was taken by the Minister of Justice to reiterate the intention already expressed to the Commissioner for Home Affairs, last June, to host the Centre for preventing and combatting child sexual abuse in Lisbon, whose creation is included in the strategy of the European Union for a more effective fight against this type of crimes, presented by the Commission on 24 July 2020.