Didier Reynders

A recently unveiled Europol report has shown the pervasive influence of criminal networks in the European Union, particularly implicating Bulgarians, Romanians, Serbs, and Ukrainians in the most perilous operations related to human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.

The European Parliament debated rule of law backsliding and media freedom issues in Greece on Wednesday, after criticism and warnings from journalists, civil society and MEPs.

The European Commission is expected to present its latest legislation on countering migrant smuggling in Brussels on Tuesday, which sets out a new "legal, operational and international cooperation framework."

Bulgaria still lacks a sufficient number of final convictions for corruption at the highest levels of government. This is stated in the report of the European Commission on the rule of law in the member states, published today.

Some 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in Russian-owned assets managed by Cyprus-registered companies were frozen in compliance with sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Cyprus' Finance Ministry said Tuesday.

The European Union's executive arm wants to delve deeper into why Cyprus has only frozen 100 million euros ($110 million) worth of assets belonging to Russians facing sanctions amid the war in Ukraine, the bloc's justice commissioner said Thursday.

Brussels – Prime Minister Janez Janša held talks with European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders on Thursday. The details have not been revealed beyond the government saying the discussion revolved around the key dossiers of Slovenia’s EU presidency.

Brussels – Presenting the 2021 Rule of Law Report, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova and Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders called on the Slovenian authorities on Tuesday to ensure a stable financing of the STA. Reynders pointed to potential measures in the wake of Slovenia’s non-appointment of European delegated prosecutors come autumn.

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However, the stinging criticisms of Hungary and Poland, which are the only two member states currently under formal EU investigation into their undermining of the rule of law, indicates much harsher measures are in the pipeline, such as the withholding of billions of euros in EU funds designed to help member states' economies recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

For his part, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban argues the law "does not contain any discriminatory elements", because it is only designed to protect the rights of children, guarantee the rights of parents, and does not apply to the sexual orientation rights of those over 18 years of age. He branded the statement by von der Leyen as "shameful because it is based on untrue allegations".