During their informal meeting held in Dublin on Friday, 17 July, under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, European justice ministers largely agreed on the principle of European rules on retaining data for law enforcement purposes.
The discussions that took place are expected to contribute to the work that the European Commission is carrying out in preparation for the publication of its impact assessment and legislative proposal. Differences among national rules can put law enforcement agencies in a difficult position, particularly in cross-border cases.
At the end of the day, Irish Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan told the press that it was “essential” for law enforcement agencies to have “effective and lawful” access to data in order to combat serious organised crime.
“As we make progress towards a common European position, it will be essential to reconcile different rights and interests while protecting both the right to privacy and law enforcement’s ability to investigate crimes,” he stated.
The ministers then discussed children’s participation in the family law proceedings that affect them, their access to age-appropriate information, the support that they need to enable them to express their opinion, and the feedback that they must be given on how their opinion was taken into account. Two young people who had experience with the Irish family justice system presented their experiences to the ministers.
“Children and young people are citizens of today and not just adults of tomorrow,” Jim O’Callaghan affirmed. He added that their opinions should not be gathered “as a formality” but should truly be examined and incorporated into the judicial decision.
According to Jim O’Callaghan’s remarks, the effects, especially on young people, of violent or extreme pornography—“violent, degrading, and misogynistic” content that normalises violence and distorts the understanding of consent—were on the agenda during lunch.
National responses and the possibility of collective European action that would combine education and justice were thus brought up for discussion. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)