On Monday, 7 October, Janis Bordans, the Minister of Justice, participates in the meeting of the European Union Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg, where ministers discuss the need of a common strategy and increase of the EU role for combating corruption on the international level.
During the meeting exchange of opinions of the ministers of the EU Member States was performed on the basis of the initiative of the Presidency of Finland regarding the efficiency of anti-corruption measures and supervisory mechanisms thereof, in order to ensure a uniform approach to prevention and combating of corruption both, in the EU Member States as well as EU authorities.
During the political debates the Minister of Justice emphasized that Latvia supports the initiative of the Presidency of Finland to start a discussion about the establishment of the anti-corruption mechanism on the level of the European Union. Authorities and Member States of the European Union should have uniform purposes with regard to combating of corruption, therefore the strategy or work plan of the European Union with regard to combating of corruption is significant and to be supported.
Taking into account that nowadays economics is transnational, combating of corruption therefore will be effective as a result of international cooperation, J.Bordans emphasized.
At the same time the minister admitted: in order to make further steps in combating of corruption, the efficiency of current measures should be assessed, because the new possible measures of the EU level could not duplicate with the current international anti-corruption measures, including those implemented within the framework of UN, GRECO and OECD. J.Bordans indicated that coordination and information exchange between the above-mentioned organizations and the European Union should be improved.
When talking about the leading role of the European Union in the fight against corruption on the international level, J. Bordans approved the EU joining GRECO in the status of an observer in July 2019. But the target should be more ambitious - the EU should become a full-scale member of GRECO, in order to ensure more efficient exchange of information and cooperation, emphasized the Minister of Justice.
During the meeting of the Council of the EU the ministers of justice will discuss the situation in the area of fundamental rights 10 years after the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union coming into force as well as further challenges of fundamental rights.
Ministers of justice will be introduced with the updated information about the establishment of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and commencement of operation of the Counter-Terrorism Register (CTR) established by Eurojust.
More detailed information on the website of the EU Council:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/lv/topics/justice
It is possible to follow the meetings of the EU Council online: