9 June 2016
The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD, is in Luxembourg today where she will discuss the organised crime situation in Ireland and the European response with her Ministerial counterparts from Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. She is also attending the JHA Council at which Ministers will deal with an extensive range of matters including the Digital Single Market, European Criminal Records Information System, cybercrime, the migration crisis, internal security and the fight against terrorism.
Speaking at the Council, the Tánaiste said: “I will discuss with my ministerial colleagues recent organised crime developments in Ireland and, importantly, how we can co-operate to tackle the serious threat posed by criminal gangs in our countries and across Europe.
“Gangs who are inflicting murder and mayhem in parts of Ireland are operating from other countries and, while appreciative of the co-operation we have with authorities and Governments in those countries, I am very keen to discuss what more we can do together to face down these murderous thugs.
“We will discuss the support that their law enforcement agencies are providing to An Garda Síochána and further ways to develop and implement operations and strategies aimed at targeting, dismantling and disrupting criminal networks.
At the JHA meeting Ministers discussed the extension of data exchanged under the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) to include information on third country nationals. This is part of the ongoing European-wide fight against crime. Ireland supported the addition of fingerprint data being exchanged and our preference that the same principles should apply to all persons convicted of relevant criminal offences, regardless of their nationality.
Against the background of recent terrorist atrocities, the Tánaiste indicated that she was looking forward to further discussions on ways of combating international terrorism, which respects no borders, and emphasised the importance closer, practical co-operation by member states can play in defeating terrorists.
The Council of Ministers held an instructive discussion on a proposed directive on digital content the main objective of which is to contribute to faster economic growth of digital services for the benefit of both business and the consumer.
The rights of victims to access compensation for crimes committed across the member states was also on the Agenda of the Council. The Tánaiste particularly welcomed the agreement regarding the establishment of an informal Network on Victims Rights. The Tánaiste noted that victims and their families are at the heart of the criminal justice process and recognised the essential needs of victims of crime regarding their rights to information, advice and other appropriate assistance. The coming into force of the European Victims Directive in November, 2015 changed the way that victims are dealt with across member states, as they make their way through the criminal justice process in that it provides for information to be given to victims at all stages of engagement with the criminal justice system.
The Tánaiste said: “Victims of crime should have the same rights whatever their nationality and irrespective of which Member State the crime takes place in. They should get the support and protection they need. This is particularly important and timely given our current focus on enhancing victim’s rights in Ireland, which is a priority for me.”
Ministers also considered future work on improving criminal justice access to e-evidence in cyberspace. Commenting on the valuable work done by the Dutch Presidency in this area, the Tánaiste said: “The manner in which data is stored, accessed and moved across borders poses significant challenges for the investigation and prosecution of crime and we need an international approach. Nineteenth century approaches to obtaining evidence are not appropriate when it comes to data held by Internet Service Providers”.
ENDS