Memo: EU Justice Council: Statement by Vice-President Viviane Reding

European citizens will benefit from improved fair trial rights, enjoy more legal certainty for international couples and a solid system for protecting human rights following the 4 June 2010 meeting of EU Justice Ministers in Luxembourg.

Viviane Reding, EU Justice Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission, said the decisions were "historic" and demonstrated how the EU can work effectively for its citizens.

"Just two months after the Commission proposed new procedural rights, enhanced cooperation to bring legal certainty to international couples, and a mandate to complete the EU's system of protecting human rights, we have delivered," Vice-President Reding said after the Justice Ministers meeting. "We can be proud about these concrete results for citizens. But we still have many more challenges ahead, including securing a legally sound and efficient procedure to protect victims of crime and violence, where further progress will be needed under the Belgium and Hungarian Presidencies."

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