Justice & Home Affairs
The Brief, powered by FACEBOOK – Hold your horses
A crowd running from water cannons. An accredited journalist refused entry. The roar of police helicopters above a horde of shielded officers. Riderless horses roaming the streets. You’d be forgiven for thinking this was a scene from an uprising. But...
Commission calls for online ‘battering rams’ to break encryption
The EU executive will help countries work on encryption-breaking for when law enforcement has legal access to the information as part of a strategy to fight organised crime presented on Wednesday (14 April).
Covid, cocaine take Europe to ‘breaking point’, says Europol
The coronavirus pandemic could fuel organised crime for years to come in Europe, a continent already at "breaking point" from an unprecedented flood of cocaine, the EU's policing agency warned Monday (12 April).
Cypriot says business ‘stolen’ in Bulgaria, hopes EPPO will investigate
Stealing a successful business in Bulgaria is commonplace, although this mafia-like practice is little documented. A Cypriot businessman has told his story to EURACTIV, hoping that the Office of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) would investigate further.
EU takes Poland to court over law ‘undermining’ judges
The European Commission said on Wednesday (31 March) it is taking Poland to the European Court of Justice over a reform it says undermines the country's judicial independence. Poland brushed it off, saying it had "no legal or factual justification".
Commission may face trouble over rule of law conditionality guidelines
The European Commission faces a tight deadline to present its rule of law guidelines following the European Parliament's move to hurry along the application of the regulation that ties the disbursement of bloc funds to the rule of law situation in EU countries.
Former IMF chief Rato faces fresh fraud accusations in Spain
The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Rodrigo Rato, is facing fresh allegations from Spanish anti-corruption prosecutors, including alleged tax fraud, corruption, and document falsification, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
EU Commission faces lawsuit unless it acts fast on rule of law conditionality
The European Parliament is set to pass a resolution warning that it will sue the European Commission unless the EU executive arm applies new legislation that makes access to billions of EU funds conditional on respecting the rule of law.
Five years on, former PM remembers bombings that changed Belgium
It has been five years since Islamist bombers slaughtered 32 people in the Belgian capital Brussels, in an attack then prime minister Charles Michel says changed the country forever.
‘Club Med’ countries show united front on migration
Southern EU countries sometimes called ‘Club Med’ of MED5 on Saturday (20 March) showed a united front at a meeting in Athens, urging solidarity from other EU states in sharing the migration burden.
Commission pledges new due diligence rules will be balanced
The European Commission is by the end of the year set to propose new rules subjecting companies to stricter controls in a bid to encourage them to ensure suppliers respect human rights and do not harm the environment.
‘Innovative ways’ of evading responsibilities for refugees
A regrettable result of the EU-Turkey Statement from 2016 is that the model continues to serve to EU member states seeking innovative ways to evade responsibility for refugees, writes Charlotte Slente.
EU Presidency: Council meeting on migration ‘extremely constructive’
EU foreign and home affairs ministers had an “extremely constructive” joint meeting on Monday that gives confidence that progress can be made on the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, Portugal’s interior minister Eduardo Cabrita has said.
The Brief, powered by amfori – EU’s ‘toolbox fetishism’
Next to the rule of law dilemma, growing assaults on media freedom are posing another test for the EU’s resolve and unity. The question is whether yet another ‘toolbox’ can solve the problem. Do you remember the then European Commissioner...
Hungary, Poland refer controversial rule of law mechanism to court
Hungary and Poland have launched legal action at the European Court of Justice (EJC) against the regulation tying the disbursement of bloc funds to the rule of law situation in EU countries, the court said on Thursday (11 March).
European police pounce after cracking encrypted phone network
Police said Wednesday (10 March) they had arrested at least 80 people and carried out hundreds of raids in two European countries after shutting down an encrypted phone network used by organised crime groups.
Athens rocked by riots as tensions rise amid claims of police violence
Riots shook an Athens suburb late on Tuesday (9 March) as police officers clashed with demonstrators protesting against alleged police brutality, with the government and opposition accusing each other of exploiting the worsening pandemic for political gain.
At least 39 migrants drown off Tunisia as two boats capsize
At least 39 migrants drowned off Tunisia when two boats capsized on Tuesday (9 March), the defence ministry said, as numbers risking the dangerous crossing to Europe continue to rise.
UAE now among world’s top ten tax havens
The UAE has entered the world's top ten tax havens for the first time, research showed Tuesday (9 March), in a report flagging OECD nations and their dependencies for more than two-thirds of "global corporate tax abuse".
Swiss agree to outlaw facial coverings in ‘burqa ban’ vote
A far-right proposal to ban facial coverings in Switzerland won a narrow victory in a binding referendum on Sunday instigated by the same group that organised a 2009 ban on new minarets.
EU court tells Polish judges to ignore national laws breaking bloc law
Judges applying to join Poland’s Supreme Court should have the right to appeal against the opinions of a body which reviews candidates, the EU’s top court said on Tuesday (2 March), underlining a rift over the rule of law between Warsaw and Brussels.
Fraudsters offer 1 billion COVID-19 doses across EU, agency warns
Dubious intermediaries have offered governments across the European Union a total of about 1 billion non-existent COVID-19 vaccine doses worth about €14 billion, the bloc's anti-fraud agency told Reuters on Monday.
Germany to tighten COVID controls at French border
Germany on Sunday (28 February) declared France's Covid-battered Moselle region a high-risk area for virus variants, prompting tougher entry rules for visitors at the border.