In two months, Malta will take over the presidency of the European Union for the first time since joining. The Maltese presidency will be crucial to bringing concrete results to European citizens.
Member states committed to bringing the EU closer to citizens at the Bratislava summit in September. I am confident that Malta will take up the challenge and make the most of its presidency to advance major European priorities.
Violence against women: one in three women in the EU has experienced violence since the age of 15. Gender-based violence is still a reality across Europe. We should work together to put an end to all forms of violence against women, be it domestic violence, harassment in public spaces or at work.
I believe that Malta will be a strong partner on this topic by making fighting violence against women one of the top priorities of its presidency.
I welcome Malta’s decision to support our campaign and, in particular, Minister Helena Dalli’s commitment to secure care and support for victims of violence.
Malta will have the task of finalising the ratification for the EU of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, a comprehensive international treaty on combatting violence against women and domestic violence.
Anti-money laundering: recent terrorist attacks have revealed that stronger anti-money-laundering rules are necessary to block all sources of financing for terrorists. We must not let criminals be one step ahead of us.
For this reason, in July 2016, the Commission presented a proposal to further reinforce EU rules on anti-money laundering to counter terrorist financing and increase transparency about who really owns companies.
The Maltese presidency will be crucial to bringing concrete results to European citizens
I strongly welcome the efforts of the Maltese presidency to intensify negotiations on this file. I also commit to helping them reach their goal of finalising and agreeing the text by the end of the year.
European Public Prosecutor’s office: this initiative has been one of my top priorities ever since the beginning of my mandate. Organised crime is making billions of euros in profit every year by circumventing national rules and escaping criminal prosecutions.
Every year, at least €50 billion in revenues from VAT is lost for national budgets all over Europe through cross-border fraud, like carousel fraud. National prosecutors often lack the tools to act quickly and efficiently across borders. In the interest of all taxpayers, Europe needs to join forces by establishing a European Public Prosecutor.
We aim to have an agreement in the Council in December on this file. But we will depend on the Maltese presidency to obtain the consent of the European Parliament. This would allow us to finalise the adoption of the EPPO Regulation early next year, and the new structure could take up functions in 2019.
Digital contracts: the Bratislava declaration supported the completion of the digital single market. The digital content and the online sales of goods proposals are at the heart of this priority. They will enhance cross-border e-commerce in the EU, as it is still too low, both from the side of traders and from the side of consumers. We know that one of the barriers relates to differences in contract law across the EU.
Malta is an economy open to e-commerce. Already 39 per cent of Maltese consumers buy online from other EU countries; this is above the EU average of 15 per cent. I count on Malta’s support on both proposals, because the approach to full harmonisation is essential.
With the commitment of the Maltese authorities, we could achieve a general approach on digital content in time for a first agreement with the European Parliament to be reached under the Estonian presidency.
Consumer protection cooperation review: I am convinced that enhanced cooperation between the consumer protection authorities would provide more consistent consumer protection with more effective enforcement across the EU.
We propose reviewing the rules organising consumer protection cooperation to respond better and faster to EU-wide cases that affect many consumers. This is of growing importance with online businesses active across the EU.
Authorities from each member state could, in the future, work together to tackle widespread infringements by multinational companies. This would be particularly beneficial to the EU countries with fewer consumer protection resources.
I am confident that Malta can ensure the adoption of this regulation under its presidency.
I look forward to working closely with my Maltese counterparts during the presidency in building an EU closer to its citizens.
Vera Jourová is European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality.