On 1 January 2020, Croatia took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Under the motto “A Strong Europe in a World of Challenges,” the Croatian Presidency’s programme is built around four pillars

• A Europe that develops;
• A Europe that connects;
• A Europe that protects;
• An influential Europe.

Regarding judicial cooperation in criminal matters, the Croatian Presidency’s priorities are to finalise the trialogue negotiations on the e-evidence package and to lay the necessary groundwork for the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Furthermore, the Presidency will focus on implementation of the EU’s existing legal instruments for judicial cooperation in criminal matters.

Priorities in the area of home affairs include migration management, external border protection and Schengen, the interoperability between information systems, and a comprehensive approach towards internal security, focusing on resilience to cyber-attacks, hybrid threats, and the dissemination of fake news.

Another focal point is the external dimension of justice and home affairs. In this regard, the Croatian Presidency strives to reach an agreement with the USA on the exchange of e-evidence, on intensifying joint efforts in the fight against terrorism through the exchange of information from conflict-affected areas, and on fighting serious international organised crime.

Further priorities in the area of justice include the development and promotion of e-Justice, digital platforms, and modern technologies; the continuation of discussions on improving the educational system for judicial officials in the EU; and finalisation of the Regulation establishing the Justice programme and the Regulation establishing the Rights and Values programme.

The Croatian Presidency is the third in the current trio Presidency, following Romania (January-June 2019) and Finland (July-December 2019).