Department of Justice and Equality
Permanent Representation staff from the Department of Justice and Equality work to ensure that Ireland’s positions on Justice, Home Affairs, and Equality issues are well represented within the EU at Counsellors’ meetings and other Council Working Groups and Committees. Staff work closely with home personnel to ensure that the Permanent Representative and the Deputy Permanent Representative are well advised and assisted in COREPER (Ambassadors’ Committees) on JHA issues.
The Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council is the forum in which Justice ministers and Interior ministers meet to discuss the development and implementation of cooperation and common policies in the area of Justice, Freedom and Security. These include: cooperation in police and judicial criminal matters; asylum; migration; and, safeguarding the rights of EU citizens. The JHA Council aims to progressively achieve an area of freedom, security and justice.
Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark do not participate fully in a number of JHA matters. In particular, Ireland does not take part in the Schengen rules on free movement of persons, external border controls and visa policy.