The cabinet previously reported on the results of Bulgaria’s participation in the informal meeting of the Council “Justice and Internal Affairs”, part “Justice”
The government resigned before the report with the results of Bulgaria’s participation in the informal meeting of the Council “Justice and Internal Affairs (JIA)”, part “Justice”, held on July 12 in Prague, Czech Republic. This was announced by the press service of the cabinet.
The EU Justice Minister discussed cross-border legal protection of vulnerable persons and electronic communication in criminal cases in relation to third countries. Ministers agreed that the topic of protecting vulnerable adults in the EU has become particularly relevant because of the refugee crisis following Russia’s war on Ukraine. It is generally agreed that the Hague Convention of 13 January 2000 on the International Protection of Adults is an important legal instrument. At the moment, the parties to it are 10 member states, which called on the other EU countries to ratify the Convention. The EC plans to submit a legislative proposal on the subject in the first half of 2023.
On the subject of electronic communication in the framework of judicial cooperation in criminal matters between States with third countries, it was reported that only 14 Member States were currently joined to the e-CODEX system and the EC called on the rest to be used as soon as possible.
Bulgaria’s position is that the pandemic and the military actions have ultimately increasingly emphasized the need for adequate and rapid authorizations to guarantee the work of justice and law enforcement authorities. We support e-mail communication when exchanging legal assistance and extradition requests with third countries, subject to cybersecurity and data protection requirements.
The collection and recovery of investments for crimes committed during the Russian aggression in Ukraine was discussed at the working lunch and during the afternoon session. The main conclusion is that in order to ensure the avoidance of impunity, it is necessary to make maximum efforts, coordinated at national, European and international level, the press service of the government directs.
/LRM/