The European Parliament adopted by 480 votes to 148, with 36 abstentions, amendments to the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Justice Programme.
The matter was referred back to the committees responsible for interinstitutional negotiations.
The main amendments adopted in plenary concern the following issues:
Objectives of the programme
Members specified that the general objective of the programme shall be to contribute to the further development of a European area of freedom, security and justice based on the rule of law, including the independence of judges and impartiality of justice, on mutual recognition, mutual trust and cross border cooperation, thereby also contributing to the development of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights.
In particular, the programme seeks to:
- facilitate and support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, including cooperation beyond Union borders whenever Union law has extraterritorial applications, to strengthen access to justice for natural and legal persons and to promote the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, including by supporting the efforts to improve the effectiveness of national justice systems, the adequate enforcement of judicial decisions and the protection of victims;
- support and promote national and transnational judicial training, including legal terminology training, with a view to fostering a common legal, judicial and rule of law culture, as well as the consistent and effective implementation of the Union’s legal instruments on mutual recognition and procedural safeguards. Such training shall be gender sensitive, take into account the specific needs of children and persons with disabilities and be victim-oriented;
- facilitate effective and non-discriminatory access to justice for all by supporting the rights of all victims of crime and the procedural rights of suspects and prosecutors in criminal proceedings, with particular attention to children and women;
- promote the practical application of drug-related research, to support civil society organisations, to expand the knowledge base in the field, and develop innovative methods of addressing the phenomena of new psychoactive substances and trafficking in human beings and goods.
In the implementation of all its actions, the programme shall seek to support and promote, as a horizontal objective, the protection of equal rights and the principle of non-discrimination enshrined in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Budget
Members proposed that the financial envelope for the implementation of the programme for the period 2021-2027 shall be EUR 316 million at 2018 prices (EUR 356 million in current prices, compared to EUR 305 million proposed by the Commission).
The budget allocated for actions linked to the promotion of gender equality shall be indicated annually.
The programme may allocate funds in one of the forms provided for in the Financial Regulation, mainly in the form of action grants, as well as annual and multiannual operating grants.
Evaluation and monitoring
The monitoring shall also provide a means of assessing the way in which gender equality and non-discrimination have been addressed across the programme's actions. All evaluations shall be gender sensitive and include a detailed analysis of the programme budget dedicated to gender equality-related activities.