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The next LIBE committee meetings will take place:

on Wednesday, 19 June, 9.00-12.30 and 15.00-18.30 in room József Antall (JAN) 2Q2
on Thursday, 20 June, 09.00 - 12.30 in room József Antall (JAN) 2Q2;
 
on Thursday, 27 June, 09.00 - 12.30 in room József Antall (JAN) 6Q2.
 
All the meetings are broadcasted live and recorded unless otherwise indicated.
List of LIBE meetings 2013.

   
 
Highlights
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World Refugee Day  
20 June: World Refugee Day

The UN General Assembly, on 4 December 2000, adopted resolution 55/76 where it noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. The European Parliament adopted during the June Plenary Session the last legislative documents that complete the revision of the EU Asylum Legislation. Thanks to the new rules, the European standards are aligned on the best practices.

   
Press Conferences on Asylum and Schengen, Wednesday 12 June 2013, Strasbourg

On Wednesday, 12 June 2013 in Strasbourg, Room Louise Weiss (LOW) N -1/201 a Press Conference on Asylum and Schengen is organised. The LIBE Chairman, the rapporteurs on the respective dossiers as well as Commissioner Malmström are expected to take the floor.

 
Further information
 
Interparliamentary meeting on the Stockholm Programme  
Interparliamentary Committee Meeting on the Stockholm Programme - 20.06.2013

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Legal Affairs invited the members of National Parliaments to an Interparliamentary committee meeting on "the Stockholm Programme: State of play regarding police and judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters" which will take place on 20 June from 9.00 - 18.30 in room JAN 2Q2. The four sessions of the Interparliamentary meeting will be dedicated to police cooperation, judicial cooperation in criminal matters, judicial cooperation in civil matters and tools for the effective development of a European judicial culture.

 
Further information
 
LIBE Hearing "A Common European Asylum System by 2012? Asylum and Resettlement"  
LIBE adopted the Asylum Package and Schengen Evaluation Mechanism

On 10.06.2013 LIBE adopted the Recommendations for early second reading agreements between the European Parliament and the Council on the Dublin Regulation, rapporteur Cecilia WIKSTRÖM (ALDE, SE), the Reception Conditions Directive, rapporteur Antonio MASIP HIDALGO (S&D, ES) and the Asylum Procedures Directive, rapporteur Sylvie GUILLAUME (S&D, FR). This marks the accomplishment of the last part of the so-called Asylum Package at LIBE-level. The Common European Asylum System starts off and Asylum standards will be aligned and upgraded in the EU as well as the Establishment of an evaluation mechanism to verify application of the Schengen acquis, rapporteur Carlos COELHO (EPP, PT).

 
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Latest press releases
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PRISM: EU citizens' data must be properly protected against US surveillance
LIBE 19-06-2013 - 19:13  

The US PRISM internet surveillance case highlights the urgent need to pass legislation to protect EU citizens' personal data, most MEPs agreed in Wednesday's Civil Liberties Committee debate with Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. MEPs also called for safeguards for personal data transferred outside the EU.

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Ensuring fair trials: clearer EU-wide rules on access to a lawyer
LIBE 19-06-2013 - 17:25  

Suspects or accused persons will be entitled to access to a lawyer before the start of any questioning by the police and throughout criminal proceedings wherever they are in the EU, under a deal struck by Parliament and Council negotiators on 28 May and endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday.

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MEPs call on Hungarian authorities to abide by EU values
LIBE 19-06-2013 - 15:24  

Civil Liberties Committee recommendations to Hungary and the European Commission on how to remedy any breaches of key EU values promptly and avoid double standards are set out in a report voted on Wednesday. Should the Hungarian authorities fail to abide by EU values, MEPs ask the European Parliament's authorities to consider resorting to EU Treaty Article 7 (1), which would enable the EU Council of Ministers to determine whether there is a clear risk of a serious breach.

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MEPs voice grave concerns over Russia's demand for EU air passengers' data
LIBE 11-06-2013 - 09:56  

Russia's decree that European airlines must supply it with EU air passengers' personal data is a "very worrying issue" that could set a precedent for other countries, said Civil Liberties Committee MEPs in a debate with Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström on Monday evening.

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Act together to counter cyber attacks, urges Civil Liberties Committee
LIBE 06-06-2013 - 11:21  

Cyber criminals would face tougher EU-wide penalties, under a draft directive agreed by MEPs, Council and Commission negotiators last year and endorsed by the Civil Liberties Committee on Thursday. The new rules also aim to facilitate prevention and to boost police and judicial cooperation in this field. The deadline for replies to urgent requests for help will be eight hours.

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Eurosur: Parliament and Council agree on new border surveillance system
LIBE 30-05-2013 - 14:12  

The EU's external borders and migrants' lives will be better protected thanks to the new "Eurosur" border surveillance system, details of which were agreed by Parliament and Council on Wednesday evening.

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Schengen reform: Parliament and Council negotiators strike a deal
LIBE 30-05-2013 - 11:32  

The citizen's right to move freely within the Schengen area has been strengthened by a deal struck by MEPs, Council and Commission negotiators on Wednesday evening. For the first time, inspection teams will be able to make unannounced visits to internal borders to halt any attempt to impose illegal border checks. Free movement is the most positive outcome of 50 years of EU integration, said 62% of respondents to a recent Eurobarometer survey.

Presentation and responsibilities
 
Committee responsible for:
 
1. the protection within the territory of the Union of citizens' rights, human rights and fundamental rights, including the protection of minorities, as laid down in the Treaties and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union;
 
2. the measures needed to combat all forms of discrimination other than those based on sex or those occurring at the workplace and in the labour market;
 
3. legislation in the areas of transparency and of the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data;
 
4. the establishment and development of an area of freedom, security and justice, in particular:
(a)   measures concerning the entry and movement of persons, asylum and migration,
(b)   measures concerning an integrated management of the common borders,
(c)   measures relating to police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters;
 
5. the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Europol, Eurojust, Cepol and other bodies and agencies in the same area;
 
6. the determination of a clear risk of a serious breach by a Member State of the principles common to the Member States.
 
Today's broadcasts
 
09:00 / 12:30 LIBE   Watch the meeting
15:00 / 18:30 LIBE   Watch the meeting
View program
Multimedia Library
 
19-06-2013 - 09:11   LIBE Meeting   Watch the meeting
18-06-2013 - 15:11   CONT LIBE Meeting   Watch the meeting
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Welcome words
 
Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR © European Union  
 

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is in charge of most of the legislation and democratic oversight for policies linked to the transformation of the European Union in the area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) (art. 3 TEU). These policies are intertwined with the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in EU territory and with the strengthening of European Citizenship.
 
The European Union carries out work in this domain with the joint commitment of the Member States, their national Parliaments and the judiciary and civil society. As a consequence, the area of freedom, security and justice could become the core of the new EU legal order after the Lisbon Treaty; while simultaneously fully respecting the national legal order (art. 67 TFEU).
 
To implement these objectives, a multi-annual strategy (the so called "Stockholm Programme" for the period 2010–2014) has been adopted and it established several strategic legislative and operational objectives dealing notably, but not exhaustively, with citizenship, transparency, data protection, fighting discrimination, granting freedom of movement, border control, migration, asylum, judicial and police cooperation.
 
To better achieve these objectives in such sensitive domains, mutual trust and active participation between EU institutions, Member States and European citizens, will be the key to success. In its part, the LIBE Committee will do its upmost to build a fruitful dialogue with all of these key stakeholders, so that the objectives of the Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights can be fully achieved.
 
Juan Fernando LÓPEZ AGUILAR