10/01/2019 (Agence Europe) – The MEPs of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) on Thursday 10 January approved, by 45 votes to 1, the interinstitutional agreement reached in mid-December between the co-legislators (see EUROPE 12157) on the proposal for a directive on the fight against fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment (see EUROPE 11865). As a reminder, the co-legislators agreed in particular to extend the scope of the offences to include transactions carried out using virtual currencies. The text harmonises the definitions of certain online criminal offences such as computer piracy and introduces minimum levels for penalties. The European Parliament as a whole is expected to vote on the text at its February plenary session. (MF)