European Union News - Justice

The European Commission presented a new strategy to protect open internet and online freedom and opportunity, which articulates the EU's vision of cyber-security in terms of five priorities: Achieving cyber resilience, drastically reducing cybercrime, Developing cyber defence policy and capabilities related to the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), developing the industrial and technological resources for cyber-security, and establishing a coherent international cyberspace policy for the European Union and promoting core EU values.

The European Commission made a proposal to strengthen the protection of the euro and other currencies against counterfeiting through criminal law measures. In particular, the proposed Directive includes the strengthening cross-border investigations and introducing minimum penalties, including imprisonment, for the most serious counterfeiting offences.

Europol and police teams from 13 European countries have uncovered an extensive criminal network which involves a total of 425 match officials, club officials, players, and serious criminals, from more than 15 countries, that are suspected of being involved in attempts to fix more than 380 professional football matches.

Europol and over 200 law enforcement officers have dismantled an organised crime group responsible for massive VAT fraud in several EU countries. The joint investigation team arrested 14 suspects and seized €4.8 million in cash, as well as luxury motor vehicles and real estate.

ECAS, a Brussels-based NGO, lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman about the Commission's refusal to give access to five documents, drafted by its services and concerning the UK opt-out from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The Ombudsman response is that the Commission refused access to documents without giving valid reasons.

The second EU-US review of the implementation of the Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP) shows that more than two years after its entry into force, this Programmes and its safeguards have been properly put in place. Nevertheless, the review pointed out that the on-going process of deleting data older than 5 years is an issue that requires further monitoring.

The European Commission announce that 48 countries worldwide will join forces since 5 December to increase international cooperation for the fight against child sexual abuse online. During the launching meeting that will take place on 5 December, the participating countries will make political commitments to pursue a number of goals for making this fight more effective.

The political agreement already reached between the European Parliament and the Council to reform the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has been officially ratified by the Council. The main objectives of the reform are to increase the efficiency of OLAF's investigation, to strengthen cooperation between the office and the competent authorities of the member states and third countries, and to increase OLAF's accountability.

The new special committee on organised crime in the European Parliament proposed to include a Union-wide definition of mafia-related crimes, the possibility of seizing criminal assets and using them to benefit the community, new rules on public procurement and the creation of an EU prosecutor, among other things, to tackle the mafia.

The Internal Market Scoreboard published by the European Commission shows that the number of incorrectly transposed directives directives in average compliance deficit has fallen. However, after the increase recorded in May and November 2011 (1.2%), the European average transposition deficit is now back to 0.9%, i.e. below the target agreed by the European Heads of State and Government in 2007.

The European Court of Auditors concluded that fewer than half of the projects examined - 23 projects in 6 sub-Saharan countries - satisfactorily met the beneficiaries’ needs. Despite this conclusion, the Court found that EU support had increased access to drinking water and basic sanitation, using standard technology and locally available materials.

The Council welcomed the initiative of a number of Member States to develop, on a voluntary basis at the national level, the European Legislation Identifier (ELI). The Council approved on its conclusions for the 24 of September the Working party on e-Law suggestion that would mean a new unique identifier and structured metadata to reference legislation published in the official journals and legal gazettes of different legal systems.