About: Věra Jourová
Commission adopts stricter blacklist of money launderers
The European Commission has included Saudi Arabia and Panama in an extended ‘blacklist’ of uncooperative jurisdictions in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, in an effort to regain citizens’ trust in the fight against financial crimes.
Trump’s privacy ombudsman nomination ‘is not a concession’, says EU
The EU's Data Protection Supervisor, Giovanni Buttarelli, responded on Thursday (24 January) to US President Trump's recent nomination of an ombudsperson to oversee the EU-US privacy shield agreement, saying that the announcement came "later than expected."
US to appoint permanent Privacy Shield Ombudsperson, as EU pressure tells
The Trump Administration plans to nominate a permanent Ombudsperson for the EU’s data protection agreement with the US, the White House said last week (18 January). The announcement comes after months of pressure on the issue from the EU.
EU urges crackdown on ‘golden visas and passports’
The European Union urged member countries on Wednesday (23 January) to crack down on schemes granting "golden visas and passports" to foreign investors, warning they can bring corruption and money laundering in their wake.
Deputy PM, minister and MEP named in Bulgaria’s cash-for-passport scam
EXCLUSIVE: A deputy prime minister, a minister and a Bulgarian MEP are allegedly responsible for illegally selling Bulgarian passports to foreigners, according to claims made by a whistleblower who provided a bundle of documents that appeared to confirm the accusation.
EU citizens concerned about cybersecurity ahead of 2019 elections, study finds
An increasing number of EU citizens are concerned about the manipulation of elections through cyberattacks and malicious interventions, according to figures published on Monday (26 November).
Eurobarometer survey: Jourová rings ‘alarm bells’ ahead of EU Elections
EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová has delivered a stark message to member states ahead of the European elections in 2019, warning on Tuesday (6 November) that "the risk of interference and manipulation has never been so high."
Jourova: EU expects Romania to manage its presidency without hiccups
Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová made it clear today (26 October) that the EU is worried about government attempts in Bucharest to violate the independence of the judiciary, also in the perspective of the upcoming Romanian EU Presidency.
US should ‘follow EU’ in privacy legislation, Apple chief says
Tim Cook, head of tech giant Apple, has rallied the US to “follow the lead” of the EU in privacy rules, saying that humanity is living amid a “data industrial complex” in which “our own information is being weaponised against us with military efficiency”.
Jourová: ‘Hopeful’ that more countries will join new EU family law regime
New rules on property regimes for international couples will enter into force next year. Věra Jourová, the EU's Justice Commissioner, says the new legal system is "clear, robust and flexible" and hopes more countries will join the once they see the benefits for their citizens.
US taking privacy shield deal seriously, EU officials say
The US is making a number of steps in the right direction in order to fall in line with the EU-US privacy shield agreement, EU officials said on Thursday (18 October). The comments came as the Commission entered the first round of talks for the second annual review of the pact.
EU-US Privacy Shield review: Jourová to meet US secretary amid compliance concerns
The EU's Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová will sit down with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Thursday (18 October), as they launch a review of the EU-US privacy shield, while certain EU MEPs remain unconvinced by the agreement.
US ‘fully compliant’ with EU privacy shield, ambassador says
The United States is abiding by EU data protection rules and has an ombudsman to monitor complaints in the field, US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, said on Wednesday (3 September).
Pressure mounts on Facebook after massive data breach
The EU's Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová has put pressure on Facebook to disclose further details of the massive security breach that impacted around fifty million users last week.
‘Channel of dirt’: Jourová describes her Facebook experience
Facebook came in for heavy criticism on Thursday (20 September), as EU justice chief Věra Jourová shone a light on her own Facebook experience as well as the issue of the tech giant's non-compliance with EU consumer rules.
Companies may try to bypass GDPR fines by negotiating with cybercriminals, Europol say
Europol, the EU's policing agency, released a report on Tuesday (18 September) in which they warned that EU data protection laws may lead to an increase in cyber-extortion.
Data agreement: EU jumps into bed with Japan as tensions rise over US privacy shield
The EU will look to ensure the safe transmission of data between the bloc and Japan, Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová said on Wednesday (5 September). The announcement comes at a time the EU's other big data transmission agreement, the EU-US privacy shield, faces harsh criticism.
Facebook under pressure for weak consumer policy
European regulators will announce next week whether they will punish Facebook for its consumer terms and conditions, after the company was warned in February that its rules do not comply with EU law.
Commission says Airbnb breaches EU consumer rules, must fall into line
The European Union told Airbnb yesterday (16 July) to bring its terms and conditions into line with the bloc's consumer rules or face action by national consumer agencies, after a review of the short-term rental platform found some violations.
Civil Liberties MEPs want EU-US Privacy Shield suspended by September
MEPs in the European Parliament’s powerful Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) want the European Commission to suspend its Privacy Shield agreement with the United States unless the Trump administration introduces data protection safeguards by 1 September, in a move that comes amid mounting transatlantic political tensions.
Campaigners lock horns with EU justice chief on ‘hate speech’
EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová stood by the EU's principles that freedom of speech was not absolute at a panel discussion held in Brussels, saying that attempts to regulate hate speech were justified but her comments prompted a fierce debate.
Justice ministers divided over proposal for police access to real-time data
National justice ministers are pushing to create new powers for law enforcement authorities to intercept communication data in real time as part of their criminal investigations.
EU rule of law generally good but clouds on the horizon
EU citizens generally think that judicial independence is going from strength-to-strength but in some countries, like newest member Croatia, the situation is still poor and even declining, according to the EU’s latest justice scoreboard.