Preasráitis
Minister McEntee attends meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers (JHA)
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee represented Ireland at a meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers held in Brussels today (12 December 2024).
The Minister welcomed the opportunity to meet Magnus Brunner, the new Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration and to hear about his priorities for his 5 year term as Commissioner.
The Ministers took part in a wide-ranging discussion on the implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact, and the preparatory steps being taken to apply these laws from June 2026. Discussions also focused on how the Commission can support Member States to be ready to give effect to the EU’s new asylum and migration system as provided for in the Pact.
Speaking on the implementation of the Pact, Minister McEntee said:
“The Migration and Asylum Pact will create fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedures in ordinary times, as well as in times of migratory pressure and crisis situations. It will provide for a fair sharing of responsibility and more robust management of external borders and stronger governance of asylum and migration policies.
“We discussed with the Commission how they might support the member states to work towards achieving full implementation.
“Ireland has put in place a substantial team dedicated to implementing the Pact by June 2026 and we will submit our detailed national implementation plan to the Commission shortly.”
Ministers also considered a report on the progress achieved in the EU’s fight against drug trafficking and organised crime and looked at measures planned to further this work in the coming months.
Speaking on this point the Minister stated that:
“Tackling serious and organised crime in all its forms, including drug trafficking, and dismantling criminal organisations, remains a top priority for the Irish Government and in recent years we have substantially increased the resources allocated to An Garda Síochána. This has enabled the Commissioner to allocate additional resources to those specialised units focused on combatting organised crime.
“In addition, the new treaties we have signed with the United Arab Emirates on extradition and mutual legal assistance will not only strengthen our ongoing international cooperation in criminal matters, but also represent a pivotal moment in intensifying the global fight against this serious threat. They show our commitment to ensuring that organised crime groups have no safe haven, no matter where they operate in the world.”
When discussing the new legislative proposal to combat child sexual abuse, Minister McEntee restated the need for the Union to have the strongest legislation possible to protect children from online sexual abuse and urged her counterparts not to forget why this new regulation is needed. Commenting on the discussions, Minister McEntee said:
“The threat facing children is increasing on a daily basis and we, as a Union, must respond to that. Last year Hotline.ie reported a 110% year-on-year increase in child sexual abuse material reported and sadly these statistics reflect global trends. Behind these shocking numbers are children whose lives are being destroyed and the European Union must keep working to agree a strong and proportionate regulation to stop this. I am disappointed that we were unable to progress this regulation today but I remain committed to working with my colleagues to advance this essential legislation and stop the growth in the epidemic of online child sexual abuse.“
Ministers also agreed strategic guidelines to steer the future work of the Justice and Home Affairs Council. They discussed how to address improved access to data for law enforcement and over a working lunch they discussed the evolving situation in Syria.