EU Justice an Home Affairs Council Meets

On February 28, 2002, the European Union’s Justice, Home Affairs and Civil Protection issued a press release of its 2411th Council meeting in Brussels. As usual, there were a number of important items on international enforcement cooperation and comparative criminal law, of which this article highlights. The Council reached political agreement, subject to parliamentary scrutiny reservations by three delegations on the counter-terrorism Framework Agreement. It defines terrorist aims and offenses and establishes thresholds for minimum/maximum penalties for various types of offense. The definition of terrorism strikes a balance between the need to punish terrorist offenses effectively and the need to guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms, ensuring that activities. The Council agreed to require custodial sentences of a maximum length of at least 15 years to be imposed for directing a terrorist group and at least 8 years for the other offenses relating to terrorist groups mentioned in the Framework Decision. EU members would have to punish other terrorist offenses by heavier sentences than those attracted by ordinary law offenses under the EU members’ national laws.