On 24 and 25 February, senior officials of the European Union and the United States of America will discuss in Athens issues of cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs. It is a regular EU-US officials meeting, organised once every six months by the EU Council Presidency and the European Commission. The meeting will be held at the Zappeion Megaron and will serve as a preparation for the EU and US Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs meeting, which is scheduled for April.

The first session of the meeting will be dedicated to Home Affair issues. The participants will discuss border control and migration issues. The EU and US officials will share information about the recent achievements in the field of cyber security and fight against cybercrime based on the so called “Global Alliance”. Special reference will also be made to combatting terrorism and organized crime as well as the safeguarding of public safety. The officials will also review the progress achieved on Home Affairs issues in the frame of EU-US cooperation. Also on the agenda is the reinforcement of EU-US cooperation regarding the implementation of the PNR system under the current Agreement.

During the second day of the meeting, which is dedicated to Justice issues, a broad array of topics will be discussed. Several aspects of data protection will be addressed, in view of the reforms in data sharing and collection that both the EU and the US are considering. The officials will also review the progress achieved in the EU-US judicial cooperation. In addition, they will exchange views on the fight against illegal drugs and psychoactive substances trafficking and seek coordination regarding the upcoming high-level multilateral meetings on this topic, including the High Level Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). The rights of victims of crimes and the follow-up on the disability policy dialogue are also on the agenda.

Representatives of the upcoming Italian EU Presidency will present their priorities in the area of Justice and Home Affairs.

The meeting will be attended by senior officials of Justice and Home Affairs from the United States, representatives of the European Commission, the EU Council General Secretariat and other relevant EU agencies and institutions. The Greek Presidency will be represented on the first day, by Patroklos Georgiadis, Secretary General of Civil Protection at the Ministry of Public Order and Citizens Protection and, on the second day, by Nikolaos Kanellopoulos, Secretary General for Justice, Transparency and Human Rights at the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights.