The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union will come to an end on 31 December. In the domain of Justice and Home Affairs, the Spanish Presidency has focused on enhancing the area of freedom, security and justice. Eurojust and the Spanish authorities have worked closely together over the past six months.
During its Presidency, Spain has worked to strengthen the EU and continue to promote institutional and legislative development to meet the expectations of European citizens. Spain established four priorities for its term, including the reindustrialisation of the EU, the green transition, social and economic justice, and strengthening European unity.
The challenges faced by the Spanish Presidency have been addressed, taking into account the proximity of the European elections and the need to close certain crucial dossiers. These include completing legislative work on Directives on key topics such as the environment, asset recovery and confiscation, and violations of EU restrictive measures. In addition, the Council reached a general approach on the proposal on transfer of proceedings, hopefully paving the way for a successful conclusion of the legislative work on this key topic.
Eurojust and the Spanish authorities have strengthened their cooperation during the Presidency. For example, on 5-6 October, the Spanish authorities, together with Eurojust and the Swedish authorities – which held the previous Presidency of the Council – organised the 17th Consultative Forum of Prosecutors General and Directors of Public Prosecutions of EU Member States. The main topic discussed during this meeting was how to enhance the role of judicial authorities in joint operations against serious organised crime through the EMPACT platform. In view of the revision of the current EU Directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law, the Prosecutors General also discussed ways to improve actions to fight environmental crime during the Consultative Forum.
Following the tradition of other Member States holding the Presidency, Spain organised an exhibition of national art at Eurojust. The Spanish artist Bea Sarrias painted a portrait of Eurojust’s headquarters as part of a live performance carried out in the hall of the building between 3 and 7 July. The project, called ‘European Light’, aimed to capture the diverse and changing light of Europe as a metaphor for the need to work together within the EU.
More information about the artist, her exhibition at Eurojust and the priorities of the Spanish Presidency can be found in the video below.
Eurojust is an agency of the European Union