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The British government has tabled “Regulations” that contain legislative amendments and regulatory measures in the area of security, law enforcement, and criminal justice. They “will provide legal and operational certainty.” by ensuring that the UK’s statute book continues to function effectively should the UK leave the EU without an agreement end of March 2019.

On 19 February 2019, the EP’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) held a hearing on “attacks on the legal profession and lawyers defending human rights.” The persecution of lawyers has intensified worldwide. Lawyers defending human rights and representatives of NGOs reported that the professional activity of lawyers is increasingly subject to difficult conditions, e.g., abusive infringements of professional secrecy or surveillance of client conversations.

On 28 February 2019, the Council appointed Eamon Gilmore as EU Special Representative for Human Rights.

At its meeting of 19 Feburary 2019, the General Affairs Council dealt with the Article 7 TEU procedure concerning Poland and Hungary. Statements of Member States on the rule-of-law situation in these two countries were cautious.

The European Union must take resolute steps to strengthen its own efforts to guarantee the enjoyment of all rights of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, including social rights. This is one of the main requests in an EP resolution of 12 February 2019 “on the implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union in the EU institutional framework.” The non-legislative resolution was adopted by 349 to 157 votes (with 170 abstentions).

On 16 January 2019, the European Parliament called on all relevant actors at the EU and national levels − including governments, parliaments, and the judiciary − to step up efforts to uphold and reinforce the rule of law.

The EU and the U.S. agreed that the U.S. will negotiate one "executive agreement" with the EU in the framework of the US CLOUD Act. The Commission and the Council are preparing the mandate in order to start the negotiations.

Eighteen civil society organisations urged Member States to seriously reconsider its draft position on law enforcement access to “e-evidence” on the eve of the vote on the general approach in the Council.

On 7 December 2018, under the Austrian Presidency, the JHA Council agreed on its position on a proposal for a regulation on European production and preservation orders for e-evidence in criminal matters. Meanwhile, the European Parliament dampened expectations that it will finalise the legislation by the end of the parliamentary term in May 2019.

On 6 December 2018, the CJEU delivered its judgment in Case C-551/18 PPU, which concerns the execution of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued against IK. The judgment mainly concerns the interpretation of Art. 8 FD EAW (entitled “content and form of an EAW”), but also Art. 15 (communication of supplementary information) and Art. 27 (rule on speciality).