The European justice ministers will meet in Nicosia on Friday 23 January for the second day of the informal Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) meeting (see EUROPE 13790/2), organised by the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The first working session will focus on strengthening asset recovery in the fight against organised crime, at a time when financial flows are becoming increasingly digitalised and complex.
The ministers will discuss ways of improving the tracing, freezing, confiscation and effective recovery of the proceeds of crime, at a time when criminal networks frequently distribute their assets between several States in order to evade prosecution.
These actions are to be considered in the context of Regulation (EU) 2018/1805 on the mutual recognition of freezing and confiscation orders, in force since December 2020, which amended EU law on asset recovery.
This text, which covers the entire asset recovery cycle, has introduced a common system to facilitate the cross-border enforcement of judicial decisions.
The meeting will then address cross-border legal issues relating to the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from a territory and the need to reduce legal disparities between Member States.
The ministers will also hold a discussion on alternatives to detention, highlighting effective and humane solutions, particularly for drug-addicted minors and young offenders, which promote both rehabilitation and public safety.
The regulation on the mutual recognition of freezing orders and confiscation orders: https://aeur.eu/f/kc7 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)