29. August 08
Today, on 29 September, Rein Lang, the Minister of Justice, and Jüri Pihl, the Minister of the Interior, met with Matthew Friedrich, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the United States of America during their visit to the US. The aim of the meeting was to enhance cooperation in judicial matters between the two countries.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
At the meeting the existing cooperation between the two countries was discussed and the existence of good relations was acknowledged. Rein Lang, the Minister of Justice, proposed that practical cooperation should be enhanced as regards the exchange of experiences in improving the enforcement of competition law.
Lang also introduced the relevant legislation of Estonia. “We must admit, however, that more efficient ways of sustainable implementation of the Competition Act are being sought in order to accomplish the long-term goal of the Act,” Lang said.
Matthew Friedrich, the Assistant Attorney General, presented the lenience and immunity programs which are successfully being implemented in the US with a view to combating cartels and enforcing the competition law. The Estonian ministers and the Assistant Attorney General agreed upon cooperation aiming at creating a system based on similar principles in Estonia, as well.
In addition, problems relating to cybercrime in international law were discussed at the meeting. According to Lang, it is vital to ensure common understanding of the concept of critical infrastructure on the international level. “Nowadays the concept of critical infrastructure cannot be restricted to national infrastructure: it must also comprise private infrastructure which is essential to the functioning of a state, for example banks,” the Minister of Justice stressed.
At the end of the meeting Matthew Friedrich, the Assistant Attorney General, thanked Estonia for assistance in arresting Marko Rudi.
After the meeting with the Assistant Attorney General the Estonian ministers met with John Bellinger, the Legal Adviser to the Secretary of State of the United States. Lang, the Minister of Justice, and Bellinger acknowledged that the dialogue between the EU and the US in judicial matters is productive and amounts to an efficient means of reinforcing transatlantic cooperation. Both sides deemed it important to continue the dialogue as this provides both the EU and the US with the opportunity to present their positions and identify similarities and differences in their approaches. The Minister of Justice expressed the hope that the issue of protection of human rights in the fight against terrorism discussed within the scope of the dialogue will help to find solutions for improving the situation with human rights.
