EU, U.S. discuss security issues at ministerial meeting in Bulgaria

SOFIA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Security issues were discussed during a two-day EU-U.S. Ministerial Meeting on Justice and Home Affairs which ended here on Wednesday, the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU said on its website.

"The meeting reaffirmed the long-standing, fruitful cooperation between the United States of America and the European Union in the areas of justice and home affairs, as well as the importance of jointly addressing common security threats," said a joint statement after the meeting.

"With regard to EU-U.S. information sharing on Passenger Name Records (PNR), participants of the meeting emphasized the importance of such sharing, and noted impending developments in the separate EU-Canada PNR discussions," the statement said.

Participants also discussed security and law enforcement cooperation in cyber-space, affirming the importance of allowing swift access to electronic evidence by law enforcement and judicial authorities, it said.

"The EU and the United States discussed the latest developments in these areas and shared best practices in an effort to step up their common fight against anti-money laundering and terrorism financing," it said.

The EU and the United States agree to meet again in the second half of 2018 in Washington, the statement added. Enditem