EU justice ministers reached a common position in Luxembourg on Friday on three important draft laws based on which they will negotiate their final texts with the EU.

Member states reached a temporary political agreement on negotiations on a draft law under which violations of EU sanctions are treated as a crime, a draft law to protect journalists and human rights defenders against unfounded and malicious strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), and a law preventing violence against women and domestic violence.

“Sanctions are one crucial tool in the EU support of Ukraine and its fight against the Russian illegal aggression. This new law will make it easier to investigate, prosecute and punish the breaking of sanction measures throughout the EU,” Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer said about the draft law on penalties for the violation of EU sanctions.

Actions which member states will label as criminal offences include helping persons subject to Union restrictive measures to bypass an EU travel ban, trading sanctioned goods and running transactions with states or entities which are hit by EU restrictive measures.

The draft directive on SLAPPs will put in place procedural safeguards for persons faced with lawsuits aimed at silencing media and NGOs which point to irregularities that are damaging to public interest. The draft directive will provide courts and victims with tools to fight manifestly unfounded claims, and will also be applied in civil matters with cross-border implications.

“Freedom of expression and free media are crucial to the functioning of our European democracies, and our free and open societies,” said Strömmer.

The proposed directive to prevent and combat violence against women and domestic violence would criminalise female genital mutilation, cyberstalking, cyber harassment, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and cyber incitement to hatred or violence,

With respect to these offences, the proposal contains provisions on penalties, aggravating circumstances, jurisdiction and limitation periods.