Ukraine–European Union relations

• On 11 February 2021, the European Union and Ukraine held the 7th meeting of the Association Council, in Brussels.
• The Association Council underlined the unity, solidarity and mutual commitment demonstrated in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Association Council looked forward to the resumption of non-essential travel for our citizens, once the epidemiological conditions allow.
• Following the decisions by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, the EU commended the commitment of Ukraine to fully restore the electronic asset declaration system and emphasized the importance of adopting deterrent sanctions.
• The EU reiterated its unwavering support and commitment to Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.
• The Association Council called for the release all conflict-related detainees in line with the Minsk Agreements.
• The Association Council reiterated the intention of the EU and Ukraine to take forward a comprehensive review of the achievement of the Agreement's objectives, as foreseen in Article 481.
• Both sides welcomed a joint working plan for co-operation between EU and Ukraine on electronic trust services.
• The Association Council welcomed the launch of the College of Europe Natolin project for Ukrainian civil servants.
• The Association Council recalled the importance of concluding the Common Aviation Area Agreement at the earliest possible date in 2021.
• The Association Council welcomed Ukraine's interest in cooperation with the EU on the basis of the upcoming EU New Pact on Migration and Asylum.
• The Association Council agreed to continue cooperation within the framework of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.

• The Council has approved conclusions on the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024.
• With this Action Plan, the Council reaffirms the EU's strong commitment to further advancing universal values for all.
• The conclusions acknowledge that while there have been leaps forward, there has also been a pushback against the universality and indivisibility of human rights.
• To implement the EU Strategic Framework of 2012, the EU has adopted two EU Action Plans (2012-2014 and 2015-2019).

• The Minister of Justice of Germany and the State Secretary for Home Affairs, representing the Presidency of the Council of the EU, together with the European Commission, represented by the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship and the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, met via videoconference on 22 October 2020 with their counterparts from the Western Balkans at the annual EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs.
• The meeting was also attended by representatives of the incoming Portuguese and Slovene Presidencies.

HOME AFFAIRS

Increasing information exchange and cooperation for better migration management

• The EU and the Western Balkans reaffirmed their common interest in increasing bilateral cooperation for more efficient migration management, involving also EU Member States and EU agencies.
• The ministers expressed support for increasing regional information exchange in the Western Balkans region on the subject of migration.
• In this context, the ministers exchanged views on the idea of developing interoperable domestic information systems, modelled on Eurodac standards, in the Western Balkans to record data on migrants.
• The ministers acknowledged the significant support for migration management that the EU provides to the region and agreed on the need to intensify cooperation, especially at operational level.
• In that context, they highlighted the growing cooperation with Frontex, including the need that the remaining Status Agreements should enter into force as soon as possible.

Terrorism and violent extremism: implementing the priority actions

• The action plan remains a framework for joint work on common security objectives and for the protection of our citizens.
• The EU called on the Western Balkans partners to make progress on the outstanding actions, and in particular on the robust application and implementation of adopted legislation.
• The EU and Western Balkans agreed that preventing radicalisation leading to violent extremism and terrorism is of key importance for the regions security as well as for the EUs internal security.

Enhancing operational cooperation to tackle organised crime

• The EU highlighted the importance of enhancing the participation of the Western Balkans in EMPACTs operational actions to further collectively address organised and serious international crime, building on recent successful joint operations against illegal immigration, trafficking of firearms and drug trafficking.
• The EU also reiterated the crucial importance of the relevant EU JHA agencies such as Europol, CEPOL and Frontex in strengthening the operational cooperation framework with the Western Balkans.
• Broader efforts, including alignment of operational standards and capacities should be pursued to that end.

JUSTICE      

The EU and the Western Balkans during the COVID-19 pandemic: impact on justice systems and fundamental rights

• They acknowledged the importance of balancing the need to ensure the continued functioning of the judiciary with the imperative to guarantee respect for fundamental rights.
• Citizens are guaranteed civil liberties, fundamental rights and citizens rights to ensure personal freedoms, to enable participation in social life, and to allow for political and democratic debates and democratic decision-making.
• The ministers acknowledged that, even in times of crisis, fair trial rights and defence rights of suspects and accused persons should be respected.
• The Commission underlined that ensuring respect for fundamental rights is a key factor in encouraging people to accept the measures and do their part.

Access to justice in the digital age

• The EU and the Western Balkans reaffirmed that basic judicial rights and procedural principles, such as the right to a fair trial, must be ensured when employing digital solutions, and discussed the next steps to digitalise justice systems further.
• The EU expressed its continued financial and technical support for the Western Balkans partners in further developing digital tools for the justice system.
• The Commission reiterated the importance of having a sound strategic and legislative framework, and of allocating adequate resources.
• The EU and the Western Balkans also discussed how digital solutions can safeguard rule of law principles and foster equal access to justice.

Rule of law and judicial reforms: key developments

The Commission provided an update on the first rule of law review cycle in the EU and underlined that it will continue to pursue a strong and consistent approach to its internal rule of law policies and the way the rule of law is embedded in the accession process. The ministers took note of the Commission’s presentation of key recent case law of the Court of Justice on judicial independence, which is an important element of EU acquis in this area.

• EU member states' ambassadors today agreed unanimously on the mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on the EU4Health programme (2021-2027).
• It aims to improve public health in the EU and make the Union better prepared to cope with future health crises.
• Background and next steps

  The European Commission presented its proposal for the EU4Health Programme (2021-2027) on 28 May 2020.

• The agreement reached by the Council today will serve as the basis for negotiations with the European Parliament.