Speaking in Tallinn on behalf of the EU on Friday 7 July, the ministers of the trio of Presidencies of the Council of the EU – Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria – and their counterparts from the Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) said they had decided to continue their cooperation on justice and home affairs as part of the Eastern Partnership.
"Ministers affirmed their commitment to meeting the Eastern Partnership key deliverables for 2020 pertaining to the Justice and Home Affairs area, and focused their discussions on the following priorities: [the] fight against cybercrime, [the] fight against corruption and key judicial reforms", the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU stated in a press release.
The ministers discussed "the particular role of e-governance initiatives in addressing corruption matters" and issues related to asset tracing and recovery in the Eastern Partnership countries.
In addition, they took note of the proposal presented by the delegation of Georgia for establishing an annual conference on justice reform amongst Eastern Partnership countries, as well as an Eastern Partnership regional network on judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)