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Continuing important ongoing files, such as migration, managing external borders and consolidating the internal security of the European Union, are amongst the priorities of the home affairs component of Romania's Presidency to the Council of the European Union, according to a press release sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) to AGERPRES, on Thursday.
The Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting taking place in Brussels on Thursday, is the last one under the Austrian Presidency's aegis, and as of January 1, 2019, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union will be taken on by Romania, MAI reminds.
"The program assumed by MAI for the period of January 1 - June 30, 2019, is presented in Brussels by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Carmen Dan, and has amongst its priorities consolidating the internal security of the Union, managing external borders, migration and combating the terrorist content in the online and developing the community policing principle at a EU level," the press release reads.
"A very important aspect in the field of migration and external border management is represented by strengthening the role of Frontex, which means enhancing human and logistic capabilities that member states put at the disposal of these European agencies. Other files that the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs will deal with as a matter of priority while holding the Presidency of the EU Council are fighting terrorist content online and developing the community policing principle at EU level," MAI specifies.
With regard to countering terrorist radicalisation online, MAI says, important discussions are being carried out, including with the big companies that manage social networks and solutions are being sought for a European regulation whereby states can block this content when it occurs.
The community policing concept is an initiative by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, meant to facilitate the relationship between law enforcement and expat communities who are in member states of the European Union.
"Romania holds notable expertise in this field, the Romanian police officers carrying out missions at an operative level, in states such as Italy, Spain, France or Bulgaria. The missions ended with very good results in the area of preventing and combating criminality with Romanian citizens as victims or perpetrators, domiciled in the mentioned countries." MAI announces.
The next JHA Council, in an informal format, will take place in Bucharest, 6 to 8 February 2019.
In the first 6 months of 2019, Romania will host, on the internal affairs component, dozens of other high level events, including EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting.
