The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving the Council position at first reading in a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Justice Programme and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1382/2013.
The proposed regulation establishes the Justice programme for the duration of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2021-2027.
Within the general objective, the Programme should have the following specific objectives:
- to facilitate and support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, and to promote the rule of law and the independence and impartiality of the judiciary;
- to support and promote judicial training, with a view to fostering a common legal and judicial culture as well as a culture based on the rule of law;
- to facilitate effective and non-discriminatory access to justice for all, and effective remedy, including by electronic means (e-justice), as well as the procedural rights of suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings.
In the implementation of all its actions, the programme should seek to promote gender equality, the rights of the child, including through child-friendly justice, the protection of victims and the effective application of the principle of equal rights and the prohibition of discrimination on any of the grounds listed in Article 21 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
Budget
The financial envelope for the implementation of the Programme for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2027 shall be EUR 305 000 000 in current prices. The amount may be used for technical and administrative assistance for the implementation of the Programme, such as preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities, including corporate information technology systems.
The regulation lays down the forms of EU funding, the rules for granting such funding, and the system of governance of the programme.