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Council of the European Union     6/12/2018  European Border and Coast Guard: Council reaches partial agreement on returns and cooperation with third countries The EU is improving its return policy and its cooperation with third countries as part of its comprehensive approach to migration. To boost these efforts, the European Border and Coast Guard  (Frontex) will be given a stronger mandate to support member states' activities in these areas. The Council today agreed a partial general approach on a proposal on the European Border and Coast Guard, covering the provisions linked to return and cooperation with third countries. This agreement does not allow for the start of negotiations with the European Parliament, and is on the understanding that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Returns The proposed rules will allow Frontex to provide technical and operational support to member states in return operations. The agency will provide support at the request of the member state concerned or on its own initiative and in agreement with the member state concerned. The support will cover all areas of return, from preparatory activities to return, post-return and post-arrival activities. It also includes assisted voluntary return. The agency will also be able to assist member states in the identification of third country nationals and the acquisition of travel documents. Cooperation with third countries The proposed rules will contribute to strengthening cooperation with third countries, by giving the agency wider scope for action and not limiting its possibilities for cooperation to neighbouring countries. This includes the possibility of concluding status agreements between the EU and third countries (limited to neighbouring countries under current rules), which would allow for the deployment of border management and return teams from Frontex and for operations in the territory of third countries. The agency will also be able to deploy experts as liaison officers, who will form part of the local or regional cooperation networks of immigration liaison officers and security experts of the EU and the member states. Priority will be given to the deployment of liaison officers in countries of origin and transit. Background On 12 September 2018, the Commission proposed an updated mandate for the European Border and Coast Guard, with the aim of further improving the control of the EU's external borders. In addition to the provisions mentioned above, the proposal aims to strengthen the agency in terms of staff and equipment in order to provide further support to member states, including by setting up a European Border and Coast Guard standing corps of 10000 operational staff with executive powers. It also incorporates the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) into the Frontex framework, to improve its functioning European Council     5/12/2018 Letter of congratulations from President Donald Tusk to Xavier Bettel on his reappointment as Prime Minister of Luxembourg I would like to congratulate you on your reappointment as Prime Minister of Luxembourg. I have no doubt that we will continue our excellent cooperation in responding to the many challenges that face the European Union, both on immediate issues such as Brexit and on more long term ones such as ending illegal migration, preventing climate change and fostering a Digital Europe. All issues where I am confident that the European Union can count on your continued active and positive contributions. I look forward to meeting you at our next European Council meeting. Letter of congratulations from President Donald Tusk to Prime Minister Xavier Bettel Council of the European Union     6/12/2018  ECB: Council appoints Andrea Enria head of the supervisory board The Council today adopted a decision appointing Andrea Enria as head of the supervisory board of the European Central Board. He will hold the position for a period of five years, starting from 1 January 2019. Mr Enria, who currently heads the European Banking Authority, will replace Danièle Nouy who was the first-ever chair of the single supervisory mechanism (SSM) was established on 1 January 2014. The ECB has direct oversight of the most significant eurozone banks under the SSM. Currently, 118 banks are under the ECB's direct supervision. These banks are either the largest in their home country, have more than €30 billion in total assets or have substantial cross-border operations. Other, less significant banks remain under the supervision of national banking authorities. As a supervisor, the ECB has the authority to carry out inspections to check banks' compliance with EU rules, demand banks set aside additional capital to mitigate risks and can even withdraw banking licences. The ECB's proposal for Mr Enria's appointment was approved by the European Parliament on 29 November. Council of the European Union     6/12/2018 EU continues developing European e-justice The EU is committed to further improving access to justice across the EU by continuing to develop European e-Justice. The Council today adopted the strategy and action plan on the development of e-Justice for the period 2019-2023. E-Justice is a policy through which access to justice is simplified and improved while cross-border legal procedures are digitalised. e-Justice is not limited to one particular field of law, and is aimed at citizens, companies, legal practitioners and judicial authorities. During the period 2019-2023, the work on e-justice will be focused on 3 key objectives: Improve access to information in the area of justice Continue the digitalisation of judicial and extrajudicial proceedings to offer easier and faster access to the courts Ensure the technical implementation and management of the national e-justice systems to facilitate interconnection and interoperability between member states' systems e-Justice portal The e-Justice portal is the main tool which has been developed to improve access to information in the area of justice. It contains information pages, search tools and dynamic forms in an effort to improve and facilitate user experience. The portal will be further developed and expanded during the next action plan. E-justice portal E-justice strategy 2019-2023 Council of the European Union     6/12/2018  Fight against antisemitism: Council declaration The Council today approved a declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe. In its declaration, the Council acknowledges that Jewish communities in some EU countries feel particularly vulnerable to terrorist attacks, following an increase in violent incidents in recent years. It notes that anti-Semitic hatred remains widespread, as confirmed by the 2018 Fundamental Rights Agency report on antisemitism. The declaration invites member states to adopt and implement a holistic strategy to prevent and fight all forms of antisemitism, as part of their strategies on preventing racism, xenophobia, radicalisation and violent extremism. It calls on member states to increase their efforts to ensure security for Jewish communities, institutions and citizens. Council declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the development of a common security approach to better protect Jewish communities and institutions in Europe Council of the European Union     6/12/2018 | PRESS RELEASE Terrorist content online: Council adopts negotiating position on new rules to prevent dissemination The EU is working to stop terrorists from using the internet to radicalise, recruit and incite to violence. The Council today agreed its negotiating position on the proposed regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online. "Online terrorist content has played a key role in almost every terrorist attack we have seen in Europe. It is our obligation to protect our citizens as effectively as possible. With this agreement we want to send a strong signal to internet companies about the urgency of addressing this issue." Herbert Kickl, Minister of the Interior of Austria The proposed rules apply to hosting service providers offering services in the EU, whether or not they have their main establishment in the member states. These providers will have to remove terrorist content or disable access to it within one hour from receiving a removal order from authorities. If a hosting service provider fails to comply with removal orders, they may be liable to a penalty of up to a maximum of 4% of their global turnover for the previous year. Under the new rules competent authorities can continue sending referrals to hosting service providers, which are assessed as a matter of priority. In the case of referrals it is up to the service provider to assess whether the content is against its own terms and conditions and should be removed. Furthermore, service providers will have to apply certain duties of care to prevent the dissemination of terrorist content on their services, which may vary depending on the risk and level of exposure of the service to terrorist content. They will also have to take proactive measures to address the reappearance of content which has previously been removed. Cooperation between law enforcement authorities and service providers will be improved through the establishment of points of contact to facilitate the handling of removal orders and referrals. It will be up to member states to lay down the rules on penalties in case of non-compliance with the legislation. The proposed rules also ensure that the rights of ordinary users and businesses will be respected, including freedom of expression and information and freedom to conduct a business. This includes the requirement for hosting service providers to establish effective mechanisms allowing users whose content has been removed to submit a complaint. Next steps On the basis of this mandate, the Council Presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament once the latter has adopted its position.  Background This proposal was submitted by the European Commission on 12 September 2018, following a call by EU leaders in June. The proposal builds on the work of the EU Internet Forum, launched in December 2015 as a framework of voluntary cooperation between member states and representatives of major internet companies to detect and address online terrorist content. Cooperation through this forum has improved, however it has not been sufficient to tackle the problem. Proposal for a regulation on preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online - general approach Response to the terrorist threat and recent terrorist attacks in Europe (background information)