The Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations, Félix Bolaños, at the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council of the European Union, held in Brussels
Before the start of the meeting, the minister reminded the media that investing in defence is investing in security and democracy, in relation to the increase in defence spending announced by the president of the Government of Spain. He also assured that the Executive will present to the parliamentary groups this vision centred on the vindication of Europe's values and security.
Harmonisation of insolvency law
The justice ministers of the 27 member states discussed various legislative initiatives in the Council, including a proposal for a directive on the harmonisation of certain aspects of the insolvency law. Its objective is to improve the free movement of capital in the context of business crises in order to minimise the impact of such situations on society as a whole.
In his speech, the minister recalled that Spain already has the 'pre-pack' procedure, provided for in the directive, which facilitates the sale of an insolvent company as a functioning production unit before it is declared bankrupt. It was also in favour of allowing the sale to include the automatic transfer of contracts pending execution, provided that the decision is taken by the judicial body.
Defending fundamental rights in the EU and international law in the face of aggression against Ukraine
EU justice ministers also adopted the conclusions of the latest Council report on the application of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The text stresses the importance of allocating sufficient resources to this area and recalls that the Commission and member states must ensure equal access to funding for civil society organisations and human rights defenders.
The meeting also addressed the fight against impunity for crimes committed in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. In his speech, Mr Bolaños supported the proposal for the creation of a Special International Criminal Court to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine. In the same vein, he reiterated that it deserves a just peace and, therefore, that justice should act against those responsible for the attack it is suffering.
Bilateral meeting with the Portuguese Minister for Justice
During the day, Minister Bolaños held a bilateral meeting with his Portuguese counterpart, Rita Alarcão. At the meeting, they discussed the future cooperation needed between Spain, Portugal and Morocco in order to jointly organise the Football World Cup in 2030.
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