Monaco in Brussels

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco traveled to Brussels last week to lead the U.S. delegation at the U.S.-EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial.

The Ministerial brought together leadership from the Justice and Home Affairs Ministries of the European Union and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to strengthen transatlantic collaboration.

The Ministers focused on addressing persistent threats, including organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, and foreign malign influence.

The Joint Statement from the Ministerial noted that both sides focused on addressing irregular migration, with a view to fight migrant smuggling and trafficking networks, building on the call to action of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling launched in November 2023.

Both sides welcomed further progress on the negotiations for an EU-U.S. agreement facilitating access to electronic evidence in criminal proceedings, and look forward to advancing and completing those negotiations. They also reiterated their commitment to combat child sexual abuse.

They also discussed international law enforcement collaboration to disrupt trafficking of cocaine and synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl, as well as AI — including AI’s potential to enhance law enforcement operations and the risk that it could supercharge criminal activity.

During the Ministerial, the officials reaffirmed their resolute support for Ukraine and resolve to hold Russia accountable for war crimes, atrocities, and the crime of aggression. They reiterated the need for sustained coordination between the U.S. and EU to deprive the Russian war machine of funding and supplies.

The Deputy AG underscored the efforts of the Department’s Disruptive Technology Strike Force and Task Force KleptoCapture to enforce export controls and the sweeping sanctions imposed on Russia. The officials also emphasized their commitment to supporting anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine. 

Finally, both sides reiterated their commitment to transatlantic visa free travel for all citizens of the European Union and the United States.

While in Brussels, the Deputy AG convened an international meeting of the Justice Department’s Justice AI Initiative with Member of the European Parliament Eva Maydell and leaders from the European Parliament, which recently passed the EU AI Act—the first comprehensive legislative framework to govern the integration of AI into society.

Launched by Deputy AG Monaco earlier this year, Justice AI brings together stakeholders across civil society, industry, academia, and government to share expertise and a wide range of perspectives on both the promise of AI and the perils of its misuse.

The Deputy AG and MEPs discussed how AI is changing the way crimes are committed in the United States and in Europe — from intensifying cyberattacks, to making fraud scams more believable, to creating child sexual abuse material. They also focused on the threat of malign state actors using AI to undermine global elections this year, and the MEPs shared observations and lessons learned from recent European elections. 

During her trip, the Deputy AG also held bilateral meetings with European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Belgian Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt to highlight areas for continued collaboration between the Justice Department and our European partners.