(L-R) Claudia van Bruggen, State Secretary for Justice responsible for legal protection and prisons of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Léon Gloden, Luxembourg Minister for Home Affairs; Gerhard Karner, Federal Minister of the Interior of the Republic of A;
Credit: Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union/Michael Chester
On Thursday 16 July 2026, Luxembourg’s Minister for Home Affairs, Léon Gloden, took part in the European Union Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council meeting, which was held in Dublin under the Irish Presidency.
Among the key topics discussed by ministers were the fight against organised crime, data sharing with third countries and the EU's visa policy.
Minister Gloden stressed that strengthening the tools to combat organised crime is essential to preserving the shared values of the European Union:
"Europe was built on shared values, such as the free movement of people and goods. Organised crime exploits this freedom of movement to achieve its illegal objectives. One of the main challenges is therefore to ensure effective data sharing between the competent authorities. In this context, Luxembourg is also placing greater emphasis on a more systematic use of the administrative approach."
During the second working session of the morning, ministers discussed the use of the European visa policy as a means of encouraging greater cooperation with third countries and responding to hostile actions on their part, while recalling that the granting of a visa is a privilege.
Minister Gloden stressed the need for a comprehensive impact assessment by the European Commission to accompany the forthcoming reform of the European visa policy, in order to clarify all the legal and operational implications. He also underlined the importance of a coordinated approach among Member States to prevent differences in visa practices from creating pull factors that could lead to secondary movements. The objective is clear: to ensure an effective and open visa policy while safeguarding the integrity of the Schengen Area.
With regard to data sharing with third countries, Minister Gloden supported a gradual approach based on genuine operational added value and linked to specific criteria, particularly the principles of reciprocity and proportionality. The Member States agreed that priority should be given to making the existing architecture fully operational before embarking on new initiatives.
Moreover, the ministers took part in the third meeting of the European Ports Alliance, which focused on combating drug trafficking.
On the sidelines of the Council meeting, Minister Gloden held several bilateral discussions, including with Gábor Pósfai, Hungary's new Minister of the Interior, and Anneleen Van Bossuyt, Belgium's Minister for Asylum and Migration. The latter discussion provided an opportunity to address cooperation on migration matters.
