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Minister of Justice and Public Order Marios Hartsiotis participated in the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union (EU), which took place in Luxembourg on 13 and 14 June.
During the first day of the Council, the general situation in the Schengen area was reviewed, where, inter alia, Commissioner for Home Affairs Ms. Ylva Johansson praised the Republic of Cyprus for its successful management of the migration issue, especially in the area of returns, describing it as an excellent example that could be followed by other Member States.
In his intervention, Mr. Hartsiotis expressed his thanks to the Commission, as well as for the special mention in the Report on Cyprus on its successful connection to the Schengen Information System in July 2023. He also expressed Cyprus' support for the priorities set for the Schengen area for the years 2024-2025.
During the working lunch, there was an exchange of views on the challenges the EU has to face in order to strengthen its crisis preparedness. The Minister suggested that consideration be given to the possibility, when severe weather events are forecast, of moving through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (rescEU) the necessary equipment, such as fire-fighting aircraft, from areas that do not appear to be at risk closer to the areas expected to be affected. He also stressed that Cyprus, due to its geographical location, can significantly contribute to the overall European crisis response planning.
Furthermore, the first day of the Council discussed the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, the proposal for a Regulation on preventing and combating the sexual abuse of children via the internet and ways to tackle the phenomenon of abuse of the visa exemption by third country nationals.
On the second day of the Council, the proposal for a directive on the sexual abuse and exploitation of children was an important topic of discussion, and ministers were asked for their position on whether long limitation periods should be set for the relevant offences and how to deal with material produced by artificial intelligence systems for the sexual abuse of children. Mr. Hartsiotis supported both the establishment of long limitation periods and the criminalisation of depictions of child exploitation through computerised artificial intelligence systems, citing typical examples, which were generally well received.
Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and the fight against impunity were also discussed, with the Senior Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court providing an update on the ongoing procedures for investigating crimes committed in Ukraine. Both Mr. Hartsiotis and the representative of Greece recalled that 50 years ago Cyprus had also been the victim of violent attacks and crimes by Turkey, which still illegally occupies 40 per cent of its territory.
The work of the Council concluded late Friday afternoon and the Minister returns to Cyprus early Saturday morning.
(BAT/MS/NYAN)
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