The Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD,
is in Luxembourg today where she will discuss the organised crime situation
in Ireland and the European response with her Ministerial counterparts from
Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands. She is also attending the JHA Council
at which Ministers will deal with an extensive range of matters including
the Digital Single Market, European Criminal Records Information System,
cybercrime, the migration crisis, internal security and the fight against
terrorism.
Speaking at the Council, the Tánaiste said: “I will discuss with my
ministerial colleagues recent organised crime developments in Ireland and,
importantly, how we can co-operate to tackle the serious threat posed by
criminal gangs in our countries and across Europe.
“Gangs who are inflicting murder and mayhem in parts of Ireland are
operating from other countries and, while appreciative of the co-operation
we have with authorities and Governments in those countries, I am very keen
to discuss what more we can do together to face down these murderous thugs.
“We will discuss the support that their law enforcement agencies are
providing to An Garda Síochána and further ways to develop and implement
operations and strategies aimed at targeting, dismantling and disrupting
criminal networks.
At the JHA meeting Ministers discussed the extension of data exchanged
under the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) to include
information on third country nationals. This is part of the ongoing
European-wide fight against crime. Ireland supported the addition of
fingerprint data being exchanged and our preference that the same
principles should apply to all persons convicted of relevant criminal
offences, regardless of their nationality.
Against the background of recent terrorist atrocities, the Tánaiste
indicated that she was looking forward to further discussions on ways of
combating international terrorism, which respects no borders, and
emphasised the importance closer, practical co-operation by member states
can play in defeating terrorists.
The Council of Ministers held an instructive discussion on a proposed
directive on digital content the main objective of which is to contribute
to faster economic growth of digital services for the benefit of both
business and the consumer.
The rights of victims to access compensation for crimes committed across
the member states was also on the Agenda of the Council. The Tánaiste
particularly welcomed the agreement regarding the establishment of an
informal Network on Victims Rights. The Tánaiste noted that victims and
their families are at the heart of the criminal justice process and
recognised the essential needs of victims of crime regarding their rights
to information, advice and other appropriate assistance. The coming into
force of the European Victims Directive in November, 2015 changed the way
that victims are dealt with across member states, as they make their way
through the criminal justice process in that it provides for information to
be given to victims at all stages of engagement with the criminal justice
system.
The Tánaiste said: “Victims of crime should have the same rights whatever
their nationality and irrespective of which Member State the crime takes
place in. They should get the support and protection they need. This is
particularly important and timely given our current focus on enhancing
victim’s rights in Ireland, which is a priority for me.”
Ministers also considered future work on improving criminal justice access
to e-evidence in cyberspace. Commenting on the valuable work done by the
Dutch Presidency in this area, the Tánaiste said: “The manner in which data
is stored, accessed and moved across borders poses significant challenges
for the investigation and prosecution of crime and we need an international
approach. Nineteenth century approaches to obtaining evidence are not
appropriate when it comes to data held by Internet Service Providers”.