Discussions on EU Action against Corruption, Fundamental Rights, Tackling On-line Hate Speech, Combatting the Sexual Abuse of Children and Migration
Minister Charlie Flanagan, TD represented Ireland at the Justice and Home Affairs Council meetings in Luxembourg with EU Ministers on the 7th and 8th of October 2019.
Attending the Council, the Minister said:
I am delighted to attend the first formal Justice and Home Affairs Council hosted by the Finnish Presidency. The broad range of items on the agenda show that Finland are keen to continue the progress made in recent times on a number of key EU issues such as EU Action against Corruption as well as exploring new approaches to tackle longstanding issues such as Migration and Combating the Sexual Abuse of Children.
The Minister welcomed discussions on EU action against corruption and said:
Corruption is an issue we can never become complacent about. It harms our economies, it kills trust in the rule of law and it undermines democracy. It varies in format and in scale in different countries but it exists in some form everywhere. In the EU, we pride ourselves on having the very highest standards in most fields. Indeed, tackling corruption should be no different and we should aim to have the highest standards in this area also.
In relation to the discussion on Fundamental Rights challenges in 2020 and beyond, the Minister said:
The discussion with the Director of the Fundamental Rights Agency, Michael O’Flaherty, allowed us to take stock of the work done by Member States in recent years in the area of promoting and protecting fundamental rights as well as exchanging views on the upcoming challenges we will face. Ireland has made important strides in this area and while we can be proud of what has been achieved we know there is more work to do in this space. Protecting fundamental rights must continue to underpin our work both domestically and at European level. The discussion demonstrated that we, as a Union, remain committed to building on the foundations laid to ensure an ever increased awareness of the importance of promoting and protecting human rights and equality.
Minister Flanagan discussed the continued challenges faced in relation to migration directly with a number of his counterparts. Commenting on these discussions Minister Flanagan said:
Ireland has demonstrated its willingness to be part of a European solution to the challenges increased migration has presented. We are committed to continuing to play our part not only in addressing urgent humanitarian needs, but also working together with our partners to achieve a sustainable, long-term, solution. My discussions with fellow Ministers on this issue were productive and focused and I am hopeful that continuing to work together in this way will give the results we have been endeavoring to achieve for a considerable period of time.
In response to the presentation of the latest assessment of the impact of the Code of Conduct for countering illegal Hate Speech online, Minister Flanagan called on the Commission to take the lead in looking at this priority issue. He asked Member States and the Commission to draw on the best of our collective expertise to urgently tackle this issue both on-line and off-line. Commenting on the discussion Minister Flanagan said:
Member States are in full agreement that there must be a zero tolerance approach to hate speech. It is an abhorrent and cowardly affront to our citizens that is not acceptable in any format. Ireland is a country of inclusivity and tolerance and we will not stand by while a small minority seek to use hateful sentiment to strip our society of its core value of respecting each other. On-line hate speech doesn’t stop at any border and this is why I called on the Commission to look for EU wide solutions to ensure our message of inclusivity, tolerance and respect for each other is clearly heard by anyone who tries to plant seeds of rot and division. It was clear to me today that this is not just an Irish view, it is a European view and one we will work together to realise.
Ministers also adopted Conclusions on Combatting the Sexual Abuse of Children. The conclusions committed the Member States to working collaboratively to protect the fundamental rights of children and to combat the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, both online and offline, irrespective of the physical location or nationality of the child.
Running alongside the Justice Council meeting was the EU Internet Forum which was attended by all Member States, a number of Internet Service Platforms, and several third countries. At the forum participants endorsed an EU Response Protocol for Online Crisis (ERPOC). The Protocol is a voluntary mechanism to enable a coordinated and rapid response to a cross-border crisis in the online space stemming from a terrorist or a violent extremist attack. The participant at the forum also discussed the challenges faced by law enforcement, internet service platforms and public authorities in addressing criminality in all its forms across the internet, including in relation to the fight against child sexual abuse material online.