site.btaEU-US Ministerial Meeting Reaffirms Long-standing Fruitful Cooperation in Justice, Home Affairs

Sofia, May 23 (BTA) - On Tuesday and Wednesday the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency hosted a EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting, which reaffirmed the long-standing fruitful cooperation between the European Union and the USA in the areas of justice and home affairs, as well as the importance of jointly addressing common security threats, the Bulgarian Interior Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

The USA were represented by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Undersecretary Claire Grady. Representing the EU were European Commissioners Dimitris Avramopoulos for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Vera Jourova for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, and Julian King for the Security Union, Bulgaria's Interior Minister Valentin Radev and Justice Minister Tsetska Tsacheva, and Austria's Federal Minister of the Interior Herbert Kickl and Federal Minister of Constitutional Affairs, Reforms, Deregulation and Justice Josef Moser.

The two sides discussed their shared efforts to combat terrorism, focusing on effective information sharing, preventing radicalization, use of the internet for terrorist purposes, and vigilance with respect to aviation security and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats and explosives, especially in relation to the evolving chemical threats to aviation and in public spaces. With regard to EU-US information sharing on Passenger Name Records (PNR), the participants in the meeting emphasized the importance of such sharing, and noted impending developments in the separate EU-Canada PNR discussions. It was agreed to continue the discussion of PNR at the next EU-US Ministerial, which will take place in Washington, D.C., in the second half of 2018.

The participants also discussed security and law enforcement cooperation in cyberspace, affirming the importance of allowing swift access to electronic evidence by law enforcement and judicial authorities, while also protecting privacy and civil liberties. Similarly, they stressed the need to maintain a safe, open, and secure cyberspace for the promotion of economic and social development, and exchanged views on how to best address this growing challenge.

The EU and the United States also exchanged information on developments in the area of migration, border management, and their respective visa policies. The European Union provided an update on migration trends in Europe and ongoing initiatives to enhance the management of its external borders. The EU and the United States took stock of their continuing progress, including that of the five concerned EU Member States, towards meeting the statutory requirements of the Visa Waiver Programme, in order to be considered for designation. Both sides also acknowledged the need for strengthening operational cooperation to effectively prevent and eradicate migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings, and also discussed the importance of secure and lawful immigration systems.

The two sides also discussed the importance of ensuring swift exchange of financial information and improving the effectiveness of financial investigations. The EU and the United States discussed the latest developments in these areas and shared best practices in an effort to step up their common fight against anti-money laundering and terrorism financing.

Underscoring the progress made in these vital areas of common interest, and re-emphasizing the fact that common solutions are necessary in order to address global security threats, the European Union and the United States committed to meet again in the second half of 2018 in Washington, D.C., the press release reads.