EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Security, Technology

On Friday the council greed its negotiating position on the proposal for a directive on combatting terrorism. The proposed directive strengthens the EU's legal framework in preventing terrorist attacks by criminalising preparatory acts such as training and travel abroad for terrorist purposes – hence addressing the issue of foreign fighters – as well as aiding and abetting, inciting or attempting such acts. It also reinforce rules on the rights for the victims of terrorism, the Ministry of Justice said.

Estonian Justice Minister Urmas Reinsalu said in a speech at the Justice and Home Affairs Council that for Estonia it is very important that justice ministers were able to agree on defining serious terrorist cyber attacks as terrorist crimes. This gives the EU additional legal tools in such situations as the cyber attacks that followed the so-called Bronze Night riots that took place in Tallinn in April 2007, he added.

Reinsalu stressed that Europe is at present at war with terrorism and the justice system has to be able to protect people from terrorists using new legal tools. He called the council's attention to the fact that in addition to the actions of Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, terrorist groups are also very active in the so-called Lugansk and Donetsk republics in eastern Ukraine.

Soon talks with the European Parliament are to launch and the directive's adoption is to hopefully take place this half-year.