[Cyprus Times] The importance of Schengen at the EU Justice Council with the participation of Drakos

The importance of the Schengen area was raised at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council Participation of St. The Minister of Justice and Public Order Stefi Drakou participated in the work of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union, held in Brussels on 8 and 9 December, highlighting the importance of the Schengen Information Exchange System for Cyprus in terms of strengthening public security, more efficient border controls and the expected in 2023, access of the Cypriot authorities to the Schengen Information Exchange System.[/P]

The 27 Ministers were briefed on the situation in the Schengen area and the security issues arising as a consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They were also briefed on progress in upgrading the electronic systems used for controls at the external borders of the European Union.

The Commission presented the Eurobarometer 2022, which showed a 74% increase compared to last year in illegal immigration entries across Europe. In this context, the Minister underlined the significant problem faced by Cyprus as a result of the instrumentalisation of migrants from Turkey.

For this reason, according to an official statement, the minister stressed the importance for Cyprus and the member states in terms of strengthening public security, more effective border controls, police cooperation and return procedures of providing the Cypriot authorities with access to the Schengen Information Exchange System, expected in 2023.

The accession of Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia to the Schengen area was the subject of a wide-ranging discussion. Despite strong support for the request from 25 countries including Cyprus, the necessary unanimity was not achieved for Bulgaria and Romania, with 2 countries voting against. However, Croatia's accession was unanimously accepted.

On the second day of the Council's work, proposals for directives and regulations were examined, such as the directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law, the regulation and directive on the digitisation of judicial cooperation and the proposal for a regulation on the preservation of electronic evidence in criminal matters.

The increase in anti-Semitism at pan-European level and ways to tackle it were discussed during the working lunch. In her intervention, Ms Drakou referred to the measures taken by the Republic of Cyprus in the context of its strategy to combat anti-Semitism, noting that in our country there is no similar increase in the phenomenon.

Finally, the issue of the protection of persons who criticise issues of public interest, such as journalists and human rights defenders, from abusive legal proceedings aimed at silencing them was discussed. All states supported the purpose of the proposed directive while stressing the need for balanced rules so as not to affect the right of access to justice.

The Minister returns to Cyprus on Saturday.

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