EU justice ministers met on Friday in Lille, northern France, to discuss a proposal to expand the list of crimes to include hate speech and hate crimes on the internet and outside of it in an effort to create an appropriate legal framework to criminalise hate speech and hate crimes at the EU level.

Currently, there is no legal basis to criminalise hate speech and hate crimes at the EU level hence it is necessary to expand the existing list of crimes in the EU defined by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in order to ensure at least minimum common rules on the definition of crimes and penalties applicable in all EU member states.

The European Commission in December 2021 launched an initiative to add hate speech and hate crimes to the list of crimes. The next step is for member states to approve the initiative, after which the EC can make a bill.

The ministers are also talking with representatives of large digital platforms – Facebook/Meta and Google. Representatives of Twitter did not respond.

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders expressed hope that digital platforms will continue to cooperate with EU bodies in preparing a bill on digital services which is being negotiated. The law is expected to ensure better functioning of platforms and the removal and prohibition of illegal content.

The meeting’s host, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, said that it was high time the EU adopted a law that would prevent platforms from having the final say.