Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-09-05-Speech-3-024"

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"en.20010905.2.3-024"2
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"Mr President, first of all, a big thank-you is due to Mr Schmid for an outstanding piece of work. I think there are two good reasons for highlighting this work. For one thing, it has been a mammoth task, but I also think that Mr Schmid can justifiably be commended specifically for not having succumbed to what might be referred to as sensationalism. It would have been tempting to do so on this particular issue, but he confined himself to the facts and to what is actually the case. We have, of course, managed to ascertain that ECHELON exists, and this naturally highlights the dilemma arising, on the one hand, from the fact that countries have a legitimate interest in using interception as one means of protecting themselves and their citizens against attacks and terrorism and, on the other, from the fact that the same citizens, as well as companies, have a need for protection against the misuse of precisely this type of surveillance. Moreover, I specifically think that Mr Schmid’s report, which we must adopt today, is forward-looking and contains sound proposals for initiatives that might be taken. I can only highlight a few of these: first and foremost, that the Member States should prepare a code of conduct to ensure the protection of citizens and companies throughout Europe, as required by the Charter of Fundamental Rights. I also think it right to point out that there is a need to reach an understanding, and arrange for an agreement to be prepared, between the EU and the United States so that there might be mutual respect for the protection of citizens and companies. We have a need for international rules in this area that are as tough as is humanly possible. The need for legal and parliamentary supervision of the intelligence services in the Member States is also emphasised. Finally, I think that the fourth important point is that both the EU and the Member States have an obligation to ensure that people are thoroughly informed about the risks of interception and about the ways in which they, as well as companies, might best protect themselves against misuse of the system. I want to say that, with this report, the Member States can no longer put their heads in the sand where this issue is concerned. They can no longer say that it is just something they have read about in the newspapers. There is now a need for countries to take responsibility for protecting their citizens and companies against violations."@en1

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