(L-R): Lauma Paegļkalna, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Lithuania; Liisa Ly Pakosta, Minister of Justice, Estonia; Elisabeth Margue, Minister of Justice; Credit: MJUST

Luxembourg's Ministry of Justice has reported that, on Friday 7 March 2025, the Minister of Justice, Elisabeth Margue, attended the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council of Ministers of the European Union in Brussels, under the Polish Presidency.

According to the ministry, the meeting focused in particular on the proposal for a directive harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law. The primary objective of the proposed directive is to harmonise certain aspects of the insolvency procedures of the Member States in order to ensure that they are of comparable efficiency, both in terms of the time needed to wind up companies and in terms of the amount that creditors can ultimately recover following that winding up. Luxembourg supports this harmonisation aimed at creating the most efficient procedure possible by shortening deadlines, while strengthening legal certainty and facilitating cross-border investments.

During the Council meeting, ministers also took stock of the fight against impunity for crimes committed in the context of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, a recurring topic on the agenda of the JHA Council since 2022.

The Council also approved the conclusions on EU funding to follow up on the Commission's 2024 annual report on the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values ​​(CERV) programme, the main EU funding programme to protect and promote EU values, has been substantially increased for the current budget programming (2021-2027). The conclusions also send a clear signal of support to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) which protect the financial interests of the Union.

During the working lunch, ministers discussed the rule of law. The ministers discussed potential ways to further protect national judicial systems against any attempt to manipulate their independence. Minister Margue stressed: "Faced with a changing world order, democratic states must ensure that their pillars, including fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, are resilient and guarantee fair access to impartial justice today and tomorrow."

The next JHA Council will take place in Luxembourg on 12 and 13 June 2025.