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DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
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C O N F I D E N T I A L USEU BRUSSELS 000681 
 
 
NOFORN 
 
STATE FOR EUR, INL, INL/PC, INL/AAE, EUR/ERA, L/LEI; 
JUSTICE FOR OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL, CRIMINAL DIVISION, 
OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS; 
HOMELAND SECURITY FOR DEPUTY SECRETARY, OFFICES OF POLICY 
AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2019 
TAGS: PREL KCRM PTER EUM
SUBJECT: APRIL 28 U.S.-EU JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS 
MINISTERIAL MEETING IN PRAGUE 
 
Classified By: COUNSELOR FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND 
LAW ENFORCEMENT JAMES MCANULTY FOR REASONS IN 1.4 B AND D 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) U.S. and European Union (EU) Cabinet Ministers engaged 
in a wide-ranging discussion of counter-terrorism, law 
enforcement, and border security issues at the April 28 
U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Ministerial Troika 
meeting in Prague.  The EU side welcomed the Attorney 
General's declarations on Guantanamo detainees, including 
announcement that the U.S. would accept some detainees 
currently at Guantanamo.  The major issue of disagreement 
involved the role of redress in data privacy issues, with the 
EU insisting on a change to the U.S. Privacy Act as a 
"precondition" for obtaining a mandate to negotiate a binding 
international agreement on data privacy.  END SUMMARY. 
 
------------ 
PARTICIPANTS 
------------ 
 
¶2. (U) U.S. Attorney General (AG) Eric H. Holder and U.S. 
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Jane Holl Lute chaired 
the U.S. Delegation, which included Department of State (DOS) 
Assistant Secretary for European Affairs (EUR) and Special 
Envoy for Guantanamo Detainees Daniel Fried, Deputy Assistant 
Attorney General Bruce Swartz of the Department of Justice 
(DOJ), Chief of Staff and Counselor to the AG Kevin A. 
Ohlson, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for International Affairs Mark Koumans, 
Embassy Prague Charge Mary Thompson-Jones, Counselor to the 
AG Dorothy A. Jeffress, Special Counsel to the AG Matthew G. 
Olsen, Senior Justice Counselor for the EU and International 
Criminal Law Mary Lee Warren of the U.S. Mission to the EU 
(USEU), USEU Counselor for International Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Affairs (INL) James McAnulty, USEU DHS Attache 
Jackie Bednarz, National Security Council (NSC) Director for 
Counter-Terrorism Elizabeth Farr, and DOS Attorney-Advisor 
Steve Pomper. 
 
3.(U) Minister of Interior Ivan Langer and Minister of 
Justice Jiri Pospisil of the Czech Republic, on behalf of the 
EU Council Presidency, and EU Vice President (VP) and 
Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security (JLS) Jacques 
Barrot led the EU Delegation, which included Minister of 
Justice Beatrice Ask of Sweden, Minister for Asylum and 
Migration Tobias Billstrom of Sweden, Deputy Minister of 
Justice Tomas Bocek of the Czech Republic, European 
Commission JLS Director General Jonathan Faull, Council 
Secretariat Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Director General 
Ivan Bijak, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de 
Kerchove of the Council Secretariat, Commission Officer 
Laurent Muschel, European Police Office (EUROPOL) Director 
Robert Wainwright, EU External Border Management Agency 
(FRONTEX) Director Ilkka Laitinen, JHA Counselor Hans Nilsson 
of the Swedish Permanent Representation (PermRep), Swedish 
Ministry of Justice EU Affairs Director Tora Wigstrand, 
European Judicial Coordination Unit (EUROJUST) Representative 
Malci Gabrijelcic, Commission Special Advisor Luigi Soreca, 
Council Secretariat JHA Administrator Wouter van de Rijt, and 
Commission Transatlantic Relations Officer Heike Busse. 
 
----------------------- 
TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Czech Interior Minister Langer welcomed the U.S. 
Delegation, noting the critical importance of deepening 
transatlantic cooperation on terrorism and law enforcement. 
He listed visa reciprocity, use of new technology, countering 
terrorism, and sharing information as key challenges. 
Commission VP Barrot welcomed the opportunity to establish a 
"new dimension" in transatlantic relations.  He said the 
transatlantic partnership should be built on new foundations 
and called for a political dialogue on operational 
cooperation to be followed by a formal agreement on a 
transatlantic partnership.  AG Holder committed the U.S. 
Government to following the rule of law and listening to 
allies and partners, even and especially when differences 
arise.  He called for concrete proposals, responses, and 
results.  As for the transatlantic dialogue agreement, he 
asked that the EU provide a draft text for the U.S. to study. 
 He could support a declaration or statement of objectives in 
the future, but he directed U.S. law enforcement and justice 
personnel to work now on finding means of expanding and 
deepening the transatlantic relationship.  The new 
administration continued to study its priorities, but he 
viewed terrorism, transnational crime, cyber-crime, and 
protection of children as important challenges or objectives 
for both sides.  Minister Langer anticipated that the U.S. 
and EU would soon issue a joint declaration or memorandum on 
Guantanamo detainees.  He praised the work of both 
governments in discussing data privacy principles that could 
form the basis of a binding agreement, as early as during the 
upcoming Swedish Presidency (which runs from July 1 to 
December 31 this year).  (COMMENT:  While EU officials 
showcased this initiative before the Ministerial as important 
to them, participants addressed this issue in a cursory way, 
given the AG's mention of the new administration's ongoing 
review of priorities.  Notably, the sides reached no 
understanding on preparing such an agreement.  END COMMENT.) 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
MUTUAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE AND EXTRADITION AGREEMENTS 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶5. (C) Justice Minister Pospisil noted that the Czech 
Presidency has pushed forcefully for ratification of the 
U.S.-EU Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) and Extradition 
Agreements.  Italy had concluded its national ratification 
procedures earlier this year, while Belgium and Greece had 
yet to finish their procedures.  Regarding Belgium, both 
houses of the Parliament were considering these agreements 
with approval projected for June or July.  Regarding Greece, 
authorities there had submitted the agreements to their 
Parliament, but they refused to provide an estimated date for 
approval.  VP Barrot predicted that Belgium would give its 
approval soon, and he said he would continue to press Greece. 
 EUROJUST Representative Gabrijelcic reviewed preparations 
for implementation of these important agreements, as a 
follow-up to the successful seminar that EUROJUST, the 
Commission, and DOJ had sponsored for practitioners last 
November at the Hague.  Participants in a March 6 digital 
video conference (DVC) established an implementation Working 
Group to work on next steps.  The Working Group scheduled to 
meet again in May, will prepare standard models for setting 
up Joint Investigative Teams (JITs), which will play 
important roles under the MLA.  Describing EUROJUST as the 
primary EU contact point for MLA implementation, Barrot 
pressed the AG to appoint a full-time liaison to EUROJUST. 
AG Holder designated USEU Senior Justice Counselor as his 
personal representative to EUROJUST.  He stressed the 
importance of ratifying both the MLA and Extradition 
agreements soon, lamenting that an EU Member State had 
recently released a long-sought U.S. fugitive, because the 
current extradition agreement available for that country, 
dating from 1902, did not contemplate child molestation among 
its listed offenses.  Langer agreed on the necessity to 
ratify these agreements soon, acknowledging that he had seen 
many criminal cases affected by delay in ratification. 
 
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GUANTANAMO 
---------- 
 
¶6. (C/NF) AG Holder expressed appreciation for EU work 
towards achieving a supportive environment for accepting 
detainees at Guantanamo and for sharing information among 
Member States.  He reiterated the Administration's commitment 
to close the Guantanamo facility in one year.  He declared 
that, while the U.S. largely created the problem, the 
solution must involve efforts and sacrifices of all friends 
and allies.  The administration had created three separate 
Task Forces working on related issues -- (1) individual case 
reviews of the detainees at Guantanamo, (2) reviews of the 
laws and policies that underlay the Guantanamo detentions and 
interrogations, and (3) review of the U.S. military's manual 
on permissible interrogation procedures.  He pledged to 
release as much information as possible on detainees, 
including their past conduct and reasons for their detention. 
 He urged more Member States to step forward to accept 
detainees. 
 
¶7. (C/NF) The AG declared that the U.S. Government would not 
ask allies and partners to undertake any actions that the 
U.S. was not ready itself to undertake.  Accordingly, he 
remarked, the U.S. will take into its borders "some number" 
of detainees currently held at Guantanamo.  MOI Langer 
welcomed this information, noting that some EU colleagues had 
stated repeatedly that they would be willing to accept 
detainees, if the U.S. also agreed to do so.   Barrot 
observed that this information would facilitate EU 
decision-making and build a climate of confidence.  He 
pledged to convince as many Member States as possible to 
accept detainees.  (COMMENT:  EU colleagues appreciated the 
AG's remarks on Guantanamo, which clearly represented the 
high point of the Ministerial meeting's discussions.  END 
COMMENT.) 
 
8 (C) Langer expressed appreciation for answers that the U.S. 
Government had provided to questions that he and his 
colleagues had posed during their March visit to Washington. 
Under the envisioned "coordinated approach," the EU would 
facilitate and provide a supportive context for individual 
Member States to decide whether to accept detainees. 
Information sharing would be key to the process, and an 
experts group has worked on an information-sharing 
arrangement, under which every country would have access to 
the same types of information.  VP Barrot reiterated 
appreciation for the U.S. responses, noting that such action 
had allowed the EU to start its internal process.  He 
inquired about the status of U.S. reviews.      . 
 
¶9. (C/NF) Holder introduced Special Assistant Olsen, whom he 
had appointed to oversee the three U.S. inter-agency Task 
Forces reviewing the files of some 240 detainees currently 
held at Guantanamo.  Olsen disclosed that the Task Forces 
gave priority to reviewing the files of detainees whom U.S. 
courts have ordered to be released as well as to those who 
could not return safely to their home countries.  The first 
category involved 20 individuals, including 17 Chinese 
Uighurs Recalling the previous day's productive meeting with 
EU officials, he noted that the U.S. had approved two for 
transfer and planned to approve additional transfers the 
following week.  As he had mentioned in his status report to 
the President the previous Friday, such decisions would occur 
on a "rolling basis." 
 
------------------------------ 
RADICALIZATION AND RECRUITMENT 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (C) Langer identified efforts against radicalization and 
recruitment as among his country's top national security 
priorities.  Noting that the U.S. and EU had different legal 
systems but the same objectives, he inquired about U.S. 
legislation and techniques, including legal limitations.  The 
EU planned to sponsor a seminar on Internet abuse by 
extremists and terrorists May 12 in Brussels.  AG Holder 
agreed on the priority, urging even closer transatlantic 
cooperation.  He confirmed that officials from the DOJ 
Counter-Terrorism Section would participate.  While 
governments have traditionally focused on radicalization and 
recruitment in prisons, houses of worship, and schools, he 
suggested greater focus on self-radicalization.  He expressed 
support for EU efforts, including the EU's simultaneous 
attention to and protection of civil liberties.  According to 
police and intelligence reports, the radicalization 
phenomenon included European citizens traveling to battle 
zones and returning with the intent to engage in terrorist 
acts.  Nations must work together to disrupt such activities. 
 DHS Deputy Secretary Lute added that her Department's 
efforts included a wide range of initiatives in cooperation 
with DOJ, DOS, non-governmental organizations, and advocacy 
groups.  She emphasized the need to move beyond talking to 
concrete actions.  She pledged DHS participation in the May 
12 conference and committed to sharing a series of studies 
that DHS sponsored on this subject. 
 
¶11. (C) EUROPOL Director Wainwright, who had just assumed his 
new position, welcomed the opportunity to work with long-time 
DOJ friends.  Noting that EUROPOL engaged in strategic 
analysis with representatives from every major European law 
enforcement agency, he said he wanted to turn such analyses 
into operational actions.  He offered EUROPOL as a gateway 
into the EU, as a complement to U.S. bilateral cooperation 
with Member States.  Noting his awareness of current 
restrictions to sharing information, he pledged to do all he 
could to overcome at least some of the obstacles.  Remarking 
that efforts against terrorism remained a top EUROPOL 
priority, he cited his agency's "Check the Web" initiative as 
a simple but effective tool to monitor Internet web sites for 
terrorist propaganda, develop a library of groups abusing the 
Internet, and add to our analytical capability.  He hoped to 
extend access to the United States, which, he acknowledged, 
has supplied valuable information on terrorist fighters 
returning from Iraq.  Wainwright took note of the AG's 
suggestion on home-grown radicalization. 
 
12, (C) VP Barrot mentioned that the Commission had financed 
four comparative studies on radicalization and recruitment on 
(1) radicalization among youth, (2) ideology of extremists, 
(3) methods to recruit individuals, and (4) best practices 
against radicalization.  The Commission planned to publish 
these studies on its web site by September.  De Kerchove said 
the EU had sought recently to criminalize additional 
activities linked with terrorism, including active 
participation in terrorist training and public provocation. 
He understood U.S. First Amendment limitations but hoped that 
the U.S. and EU could find common ground.  Germany has worked 
with service providers to counter Internet abuse, Spain has 
identified best practices for training moderate Imams, and 
the Netherlands has focused on the role of local authorities 
in fighting radicalization.  Sweden and Belgium have sought 
to foster greater ties between their intelligence agencies 
and local police, and the UK has examined the process 
involved in pushing radicals toward violence.  He praised 
U.S. cooperation, particularly sharing of information on 
terrorist fighters returning from Iraq, which he suggested 
should expand to fighters returning from Afghanistan and 
Pakistan.  De Kerchove urged that the U.S. and EU focus more 
resources on terrorism prevention in third nations, 
particularly Pakistan. 
 
¶13. (C) Praising existing, well-developed, transatlantic 
efforts to share knowledge and experiences, DHS Deputy 
Secretary Lute urged governments to explore jointly ways to 
implement best practices in communities.  She cited 
development of Incident Reaction Teams in the U.S. as an 
initiative worthy of emulation.  AG Holder praised the 
growing role of local police in the U.S. in collecting 
information on terrorist groups and activities, in place of 
earlier, exclusive reliance on federal agencies.  In serving 
as genuine force multipliers, local police could act quickly 
once they detected suspicious activities.  Although the U.S. 
and EU Member States had different legal systems, they could 
tailor their efforts to match common concepts and 
experiences.  Noting EUROJUST cooperation with Western Balkan 
countries to assess the terrorist threat, Langer said the EU 
would host a conference in Prague May 4 to 5 to allow 
officials to discuss case studies and enhance cooperation. 
 
------------------------------ 
PASSENGER NAME RECORDS SYSTEMS 
------------------------------ 
 
¶14. (C) Langer said various Member States had yet to ratify 
the U.S.-EU Passenger Name Records (PNR) Agreement, but he 
expected final ratification by the summer.  Some parliaments 
had expressed concerns over data privacy provisions.  VP 
Barrot inquired about the expected timing for a joint U.S.-EU 
review of the U.S. PNR system, to which Lute responded that 
DHS was still putting its leadership team in place and 
officials were still working on a date for the joint review. 
As for a planned EU PNR system, Langer asserted that various 
Member States had questioned the value of establishing an 
EU-wide system.  Accordingly, he did not anticipate 
resolution of this issue during the Czech Presidency.  Adding 
to this information, VP Barrot confirmed that Members of the 
European Parliament (MEPs) had submitted many questions 
regarding the proposed Framework Decision for establishing 
this system. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
EXPLOSIVES, CYBER-CRIME AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶15. (U) Warren described a very successful seminar on 
explosives attended by experts in December 2008 in the Hague 
and noted that the U.S. and EU had recently prepared a 
calendar of upcoming expert training events and seminars.  As 
for tangible follow-up, Wainwright said EUROPOL and Spain 
planned to develop an explosives early warning system this 
year, to be followed by development of bomb detection markers 
and a European Explosives Disposal Network.  Deputy Secretary 
Lute described cyber-crime as a major priority for her 
Department.  VP Barrot said the EU had developed an inventory 
of recognized critical infrastructure within EU Member 
States.  A seminar planned for December would identify best 
practices to protect such critical infrastructure. 
 
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DATA PRIVACY 
------------ 
 
¶16. (C/NF) Minister Langer identified security and personal 
freedom as two values deserving the utmost attention. 
Nations had no choice but to succeed in both areas 
simultaneously.  Unfortunately, terrorist attacks not only 
undermined security but increased pressure on authorities to 
take actions that could undercut personal freedom, including 
protection of personal data.  He emphasized that the issue of 
judicial redress remained an important concern for the EU 
side.  The EU also awaited ratification of the Lisbon Treaty 
before agreeing to a mandate for negotiating a binding 
international agreement on data privacy.  Barrot observed 
that the High Level Contact Group (HLCG) had delivered 
considerable results.  Yet, lack of provisions in the U.S. 
Privacy Act to provide access to judicial redress by non-U.S. 
persons contrasted with the EU system, where laws guaranteed 
access to judicial redress to all individuals regardless of 
nationality.  He asked that the U.S. amend its Privacy Act to 
correct this discrepancy, which he described as a 
"precondition" to the Commission's seeking a mandate to 
negotiate the agreed-upon end state of a binding 
international agreement on data privacy in law enforcement 
information transfers.  (COMMENT:  While EU officials had 
previously voiced concerns over the Privacy Act's scope, this 
was the first time that a senior EU official had identified 
amendment of this U.S. statute as a pre-condition for a 
mandate.  Previously, EU officials had used Lisbon Treaty 
ratification as the sole reason for not proceeding at this 
time.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶17. (C) In response, Deputy Secretary Lute noted that the 
U.S. Privacy Act represented only one small part of the 
overall U.S. system to protect personal data.  She explained 
that the multi-faceted U.S. system provided "effective 
redress" for all individuals, including access to 
administrative remedies.  For example, the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA), in effect, provided all the 
protections sought by the EU for its citizens.  Lute 
committed to providing more information on U.S. privacy laws, 
and she urged that the HLCG complete its important work by 
the end of the year.  AG Holder emphasized that differences 
in the U.S. and EU systems of protecting personal data did 
not present genuine problems in implementation.  He noted 
that the U.S. and the EU have shared law enforcement 
information, including personal data, for years without 
problems.  (COMMENT:  In September 2008, the U.S. side 
provided a matrix that explained in detail the impact of FOIA 
and other U.S. laws on access by EU citizens to redress.  In 
return, the EU has not provided a substantive response, 
beyond reiterating that the EU privacy framework provides 
judicial redress for all individuals, regardless of 
nationality.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶18. (C/NF) De Kerchove supported VP Barrot's intervention on 
the need for the U.S. to amend the Privacy Act.  He explained 
that new MEPs, to be elected in June 2009, will play a 
greater role in EU decision-making on justice and police 
cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty.  (N.B.:  The Treaty 
awaits final ratification by the Czech Republic, Germany, 
Ireland, and Poland, including a second Irish referendum.) 
The existence of different treatment between U.S. and 
non-U.S. persons in basic U.S. privacy legislation would 
present a "very symbolic difference" to such 
Parliamentarians.  De Kerchove pressed U.S. consideration of 
an amendment to the Privacy Act as a way to facilitate 
greater transatlantic sharing of law enforcement information. 
 
¶19. (C/NF) DHS Deputy Secretary Lute responded that the U.S. 
Privacy Act of 1974 had undergone amendment only once in its 
35 year history.  Focusing on a symbolic gesture, she 
countered, would not reinforce a pragmatic goal.  As noted 
previously, the Freedom of Information Act offers protections 
and opportunities for redress that the EU seeks.  Justice 
Minister Ask of Sweden noted the importance of continuing the 
very important work of the High Level Contact Group (HLCG). 
Langer stated that the EU will obtain a negotiating mandate 
after ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, allowing additional 
time for preparatory work in the meantime.  Both sides should 
not remain idle.  Langer lamented that he could not put a 
more positive spin on the current situation.  (COMMENT: 
Despite intensive efforts by the Czech Presidency to obtain a 
Ministerial statement on the work of the HLCG on data 
privacy, the Commission blocked such a joint declaration on 
the basis of the Privacy Act issue.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶20. (C/NF) COMMENT:  After the Ministerial Meeting, EU 
officials Faull, de Kerchove, van de Rijt, and Busse met 
informally with Swartz, Warren, McAnulty, and Bednarz to 
elaborate on their data privacy views.  Faull insisted on the 
need to deal with the Privacy Act because of considerable 
public attention on this issue (which, ironically, he and 
some Commission colleagues had generated in the first place). 
 He offered that the EU would be satisfied with a pledge to 
undertake best efforts to amend the U.S. Privacy Act "when 
the Act next undergoes amendment."  Swartz advised that 
opening the Privacy Act to the suggested EU amendment to 
cover non-U.S. persons would also open the Act to other 
changes, some of which might not be to EU liking.  He 
continued that, even before considering seeking a legislative 
change, the Administration would need to receive a more 
convincing argument from the EU side than one based largely 
on a desire for a symbolic gesture.  Faull, who has received 
extensive briefings and a comprehensive matrix on how 
judicial access in the U.S. is available to anyone, has 
admitted privately that the concern over the U.S. Privacy Act 
is symbolic and not a real deterrent to judicial access.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
------------------- 
VISA WAIVER PROGRAM 
------------------- 
 
¶21. (C) Langer welcomed progress on the U.S. Visa Waiver 
Program (VWP), particularly noting last year's entry of the 
Czech Republic and six other EU Member States.  He expressed 
hope for progress in admitting additional EU Member States 
not yet in VWP, but also stated concern over proposed 
legislation before the U.S. Congress.  Lute noted the ongoing 
requirement of U.S. officials to assess the effectiveness of 
VWP.  She stated that the administration planned to maintain 
a constant dialogue with the U.S. Congress, as part of 
efforts to assure Members of Congress of measures undertaken 
to mitigate the risks posed by visa-free travel.  Lute 
commented as well on the need for continued dialogue on 
closure of the parallel European Commission track on VWP. 
Noting his status also as a member of the Czech national 
parliament, Minister Langer said he understood the situation. 
 Nevertheless, he hoped that Congress would not make VWP 
membership more difficult.  VP Barrot expressed hope for 
progress by Greece and Poland in gaining eligibility for this 
program.  He considered this issue to be one of reciprocity, 
adding that Greece had not yet ratified either the U.S.-EU 
Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Agreements. 
 
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FRONTEX AGREEMENT 
----------------- 
 
¶22. (U) Langer welcomed the impending signing of a working 
arrangement between FRONTEX and DHS.  Lute, in turn, extended 
an invitation for FRONTEX Executive Director Laitinen to 
travel to Washington for consultations on implementation. 
Emphasizing that the comprehensive working arrangement 
complied with all requirements of the current EU legal 
framework, he urged that DHS and FRONTEX officials follow up 
quickly to prepare an Action Plan to implement the 
arrangement that he and Lute would sign that evening 
 
---------------- 
CHILD PROTECTION 
---------------- 
 
¶23. (U) Langer described child protection as another high 
priority of the Czech Presidency.  He reported that the EU 
had revised the 2004 Framework Decision on Child Protection 
this year to put it on par with a Special Convention on Child 
Protection prepared and adopted recently by the Council of 
Europe, based in Strasbourg.  (COMMENT:  COE agreements often 
serve as the basis for legislation and agreements prepared by 
EU officials.  END COMMENT.)   VP Barrot added that the JHA 
Council had agreed to two new Framework Decisions on Child 
Protection and Human Trafficking.  The former provides for 
criminal sanctions against new types of abuse, including 
bullying and access to objectionable materials and permits 
child victims to present testimony without having to confront 
their abusers directly in court.  The latter provides for a 
new Action Plan on human trafficking developed by law 
enforcement authorities, the private sector, schools, and 
non-governmental organizations. 
 
¶24. (C) Similarly, AG Holder characterized child protection 
as a top priority and of keen interest to him personally.  He 
noted that the U.S.-EU Extradition Agreements, once ratified, 
will update the types of offenses including those related to 
abuse of children.  Senior Justice Counselor Warren described 
cooperation by the U.S., EUROJUST, and Member States in 
investigating networks of criminals that abuse children.  An 
experts group met initially via Digital Video Conference and 
has scheduled meetings once every three months.  In one 
instance, information developed initially by the EU and 
involving Norway, Italy, Romania, and the UK led to discovery 
of links with U.S. criminals.  On the U.S. end, Justice, DHS 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Postal Service 
investigators have worked closely together.  (COMMENT:  Both 
sides confirmed their commitment to coordinate investigations 
against international child predator groups.  The U.S. and EU 
have established an effective working group, using the 
EUROJUST Child Protection Section as a contact point, to 
share information on offense trends and on forensic 
capabilities to intercept and break communication of child 
pornography via the Internet.  END COMMENT.) 
 
------------------------- 
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 
------------------------- 
 
¶25. (U) VP Barrot praised EU and US efforts to share 
information on technical assistance to countries of mutual 
interest, including those in the Western Balkans, whose 
justice systems suffer from deficiencies that require 
correcting.  INL Counselor McAnulty provided a brief overview 
of U.S. technical assistance projects to third countries, 
including the Western Balkans.   He noted that such efforts 
involved, close inter-agency coordination and support, 
including among DOJ, DHS, and DOS officials.  Funding 
provided by the DOS (INL and EUR Bureaus) often served as the 
catalyst for assignments and temporary travel by operational 
experts, particularly those from DOJ and DHS, including 
Resident Legal Advisors, Liaison Officers, and training 
personnel.  He reported that U.S. projects included both 
bilateral and regional ones, such as support and advice 
provided to the South East European Cooperation Initiative 
(SECI) Center in Bucharest and the International Law 
Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest.  In conclusion, 
McAnulty praised ongoing transatlantic dialogue on technical 
assistance to ensure these projects complement each other and 
address the most important priorities.  He extended an 
invitation for EU working level colleagues to travel to 
Washington to meet with program managers and planners to 
discuss priorities and projects. 
 
----------------------------- 
SWEDISH PRESIDENCY PRIORITIES 
----------------------------- 
 
¶26. (U) Swedish Justice Minister Ask previewed the priorities 
for the Swedish Presidency, which will begin July 1.  She 
noted that her Government will work eagerly on external JHA 
issues, including enhancement of transatlantic cooperation 
against organized crime.   She expressed hope that the next 
JHA Ministerial Meeting will finish the important work of the 
High Level Contact Group on data privacy in anticipation of 
formal negotiation of a binding agreement.  The Swedish 
Presidency will also prepare and agree upon a five-year JHA 
Plan of Action for 2009 to 2014, known as the Stockholm 
Programme, that will follow upon the EU's previous five-year 
programs, Tampere and Hague.  She forecast that the new 
program would balance vision and pragmatism and accent 
implementation of existing directives rather than simply 
adding new regulations.  With cooperation among Member States 
dependent upon mutual trust, she emphasized the need to build 
the ground-level support from EU citizens.  Accordingly, the 
EU will need to balance security with procedural rights.  She 
listed child protection, efforts against human trafficking, 
development of common policies on asylum and refugee 
resettlement, legal migration, promotion of visa-free travel 
with Balkan nations, and enhancement of the Visa Information 
System (VIS) as priorities that the EU Presidency will 
promote.  Swedish Minister of Asylum and Migration Billstrom 
reinforced these points by highlighting the need to prepare 
for Phase Two of the Common European Asylum Policy, promote 
greater cooperation with third countries on resettlement of 
refugees, encourage legal migration, expand visa policies 
with non-EU nations, and discuss U.S. VWP further.  He added 
that well-managed migratory flows benefited both the sending 
and receiving countries and that the United Nations global 
approach to migration played an important role in managing 
this phenomenon. 
 
--------------------- 
SIGNING OF AGREEMENTS 
--------------------- 
 
¶27. (U) At the end of the JHA Ministerial Meeting, AG Holder 
and his counterparts from the Czech and Swedish governments 
exchanged ratification agreements and signed bilateral 
protocols for the U.S.-EU Mutual Legal Assistance and 
Extradition Agreements, which will enter into force upon 
ratification by all Member States.  DHS Deputy Secretary Lute 
also signed the Working Arrangement with FRONTEX Executive 
Director Laitinen. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶28. (C) This Ministerial meeting represented the first 
opportunity under the new Administration for U.S. and EU 
Cabinet officials to discuss the full range of JHA 
transatlantic cooperation and priorities.  The meeting 
results reflected the fact that considerable progress has 
been achieved on most issues, specifically in facilitating EU 
consensus to allow EU Member States to accept Guantanamo 
detainees, sharing of counter-terrorism efforts and experts, 
encouraging ratification of the U.S.-EU mutual legal 
assistance and extradition agreements, strengthening child 
protection efforts, and enhancing the ongoing informal 
dialogue on technical assistance.  On data privacy, EU 
insistence on what even they admit is a symbolic demand to 
change the U.S. Privacy Act, represented the main 
disappointment.  Additional progress in the HLCG on redress 
and negotiation of a binding international agreement on data 
privacy will likely await ratification (or not) of the Lisbon 
Treaty.  In the face of the impending change of the Czech 
Government, Minister Langer and his Czech colleagues 
performed credibly under difficult circumstances, attempting 
to focus on areas of agreement and minimize the impact of the 
few areas of difference.  This Ministerial Meeting has served 
to set the stage for further progress on transatlantic police 
and judicial cooperation, migration, and refugees under the 
upcoming Swedish Presidency.  END SUMMARY. 
 
MURRAY