Denmark, which took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from Poland on Tuesday 1 July, would like to see improved judicial cooperation in civil matters, as well as progress in discussions on several major texts, including those on insolvency, recognition of parental rights in cross-border situations and the protection of vulnerable adults.
At a time when technological developments are multiplying at breakneck speed, the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union wants to use digital innovations to strengthen the fight against organised crime, while taking care to limit the risks of abuse.
The aim is to promote the use of digital developments for law enforcement, while firmly controlling the potential misuse of these technologies for criminal or harmful purposes. The balance between effectiveness in terms of security and the protection of fundamental rights will therefore be one of the key issues over the next six months.
As far as judicial cooperation in civil matters is concerned, Denmark has stated that it intends to prioritise a number of issues.
It promises to push ahead with negotiations on the directive on the harmonisation of certain aspects of insolvency law, in order to support efforts to further integrate EU capital markets. The Member States (see EUROPE 13658/2) and MEPs (see EUROPE 13666/21) have adopted their positions on this issue.
The Danish Presidency has also committed to relaunch discussions on the proposal for a regulation issued in May 2023 to provide a better framework for the protection of vulnerable adults in cross-border situations, something upon which the EU Council has reached partial political agreement (‘general approach’).
It also wants to make progress in discussions on the European Commission’s proposal, issued in December 2022 (see EUROPE 13079/9), to ensure that parenthood recognised in one Member State is automatically valid throughout the EU – a sensitive issue within the EU Council (see EUROPE 13599/14).
Despite the support of the European Parliament, which validated the proposal in December 2023, the text remains blocked in the EU Council, where it requires unanimity. Italy, Estonia, Slovenia and Croatia refuse automatic recognition of parenthood established abroad because their national legislation prohibits surrogacy.
Denmark therefore plans to continue work on the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Finally, the Danish Presidency is preparing to begin discussions on possible proposals for legislative acts in the field of justice within the context of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) after 2027.
See the Danish programme: https://aeur.eu/f/HFO (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)