Preasráitis
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan attends first meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers
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 Jim O’Callaghan this week attended a two-day meeting with his counterparts in Warsaw to discuss migration, preparing for and responding to new and emerging threats, security and access to justice.
The Minister also availed of the opportunity to hold a bilateral meeting with the EU’s Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, to discuss Ireland’s views on a new proposal to improve the EU’s mechanism for returning migrants who have been refused international protection.
Minister O’Callaghan also met with the Spanish Minister for Justice and agreed to work with Spain and other like-minded countries to strengthen the new EU Directive on combatting child sexual abuse. He also hosted a meeting with his Lithuanian and Greek counterparts to discuss shared priorities and ambitions for the Irish, Lithuanian and Greek Presidencies of the European Union, which will span an 18-month period from July 2026 to December 2027.
Minister O’Callaghan agreed with his counterparts that the Union needs to see sustainable progress on addressing irregular migration, including through better cooperation on returns and readmissions. In addressing this, Minister O’Callaghan urged the Commission to bring forward a new measure that increases the effectiveness of returns in the EU. Responding to points made about the exploitation of refugee law by criminal groups engaged in people smuggling, Minister O’Callaghan said:
"The exploitation of human-beings, putting lives at risk, is unacceptable. We need to ensure our criminal justice systems can adequately respond to evolving threats posed by migrant smuggler networks. I welcome the agreement to map high-risk criminal networks to ensure we have an improved EU wide intelligence picture of groups that are fuelling migrant smuggling and other organised crime."
When discussing how the EU might better prepare for new and emerging threats, Minister O’Callaghan took the opportunity to thank his counterparts for sending crews and equipment to assist reconnection efforts in Ireland in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn.
Among the key issues raised for inclusion in the EUs new Internal Security Strategy Minister O’Callaghan highlighted the threat posed by organised crime, the spread of disinformation, and cyber and hybrid threats. Encouraging all Member States to work together to address such threats, Minister O’Callaghan said:
"The cross-cutting nature of internal security in today’s increasingly geopolitical environment makes it even more important that Member States work together to ensure our collective security. We must take an all-encompassing approach, including by prioritising security in our engagement with partners and stakeholders and embedding an effective response to security challenges in developing policy."
The Minister also engaged in a discussion on how Member States should work together to protect the integrity of the Unions’ approach to justice and fundamental rights, and to ensure access to justice for all and discussed ongoing work to gather evidence to ensure accountability for crimes committed in the context of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.