U.S.-EU Joint Statement on Justice and Home Affairs [1]
On December 11, 2019, the United States and the European Union gathered in Washington for their twice-annual meeting to discuss priorities in the field of Justice and Home Affairs. A joint statement [3] following the meeting explains that the aim of the Ministerial Meeting is "to oversee transatlantic cooperation in the area of Justice and Home affairs and address common security threats." Chief among priorities for the two Transatlantic Partners is "fighting terrorism in all its forms," and an emphasis on sharing information derived from combat zones to assist in criminal prosecutions. The statement also highlighted the U.S.-EU agreement on Passenger Name Records [4] as "an important instrument for enhancing the security of our citizens." Other topics identified as significant include judicial cooperation in cyberspace, encryption in the context of terror-related and criminal activity, and the need to shore up the U.S.' and the EU's electoral systems to prevent interference. The next meeting will take place in Croatia in the first half of 2020.