By: UKOM
The Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs chaired the first meeting in the context of international negotiations on the revision of Europol’s mandate today in Brussels. Minister Hojs fulfilled this role as the current President of the EU Home Affairs Council on behalf of the Council of the EU.
In the framework of the negotiations, which began with today’s political trilogue, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament will seek to reach agreement on the proposed amendment to the Europol Regulation and amendment to the Schengen Information System Regulation, which give more power to Europol, particularly in terms of research and innovation, handling of large data sets and cooperation with third countries.
Attending the first trilogue meeting alongside Minister Hojs were the competent European Parliament rapporteur, Javier Zarzalejos, and the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson. The meeting took place with a constructive atmosphere. Minister Hojs and the EP rapporteur, Javier Zarzalejos, also set an intensive schedule of meetings to take place before the end of the year at a technical and political level with the goal of reaching a balanced agreement. “While the two institutions take a very similar view on numerous issues, their positions differ considerably on some aspects. Quite a lot of effort will be required to reach a compromise; nevertheless, I believe that it is still possible to come to a political agreement by the end of the year,” said an optimistic Mr Hojs.
