EU-US Senior Officials Meeting
The EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Senior Officials Meeting was held on September 17, at the National Police Academy in Rome. The first session focused on Home Affairs issues, while the morning session on September 18 was centred on Justice items.
The meeting was held in Italy as it holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Home Affairs session was chaired by Prefect Sandra Sarti, Deputy Head of Cabinet of the Interior Minister, and by Prefect Annapaola Porzio for the Department of Public Security, while the Justice session was chaired by Antonio Mura, Head of the Justice Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice.
The European and US delegations were led respectively by a representative of DG Home Affairs and DG Justice of the European Commission, and by Bruce Carlton Swartz, from the Attorney General's Office of the US Department of Justice.
The meeting was on schedule as part of the Italian EU Presidency Programme and was an opportunity for both sides to exchange views and opinions on issues of common interest. It took place after the recent successful meetings in Washington (2013) and Athens (June 2014).
The substantial agenda focused on topical issues of considerable interest both for Europe and the United States, ranging from mobility, migration and border controls, to the fight against cybercrime, terrorism and organized crime.
On this occasion, the Italian Presidency highlighted the new strategic guidelines relating to the area of freedom, security and justice, adopted by the 28 Heads of State and Government at the European Council in June.
The discussion also focused on the impact of criminal infiltrations in the legal economy and on cybercrime in general, with special reference to the need for ensuring secure communication networks. The coming months will be crucial to achieve a single and shared data protection regulatory framework by 2015.
Finally, as to terrorism and organized crime, there is now a strong need for international cooperation not only within Europe, but also beyond its borders, with the US as a privileged partner.