Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-06-Speech-3-054"
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"en.20020206.3.3-054"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank Mr de Miguel for his statements today.
The Watson report, which has recently been provoking extremely serious debates and has caused a number of clashes, is back on the table today. Today’s debate is on the amendments made by the Council after the decision was approved by Parliament; these amendments include those of the Italian Government, of course. My respect for Parliament prevents me from focusing on the controversy triggered off by a certain political party. The passage of time has proved these accusation to be nothing but hot air, hot air which, I regret to say, has been blown this way again today, thanks, not least, to Mr Di Pietro, on whose behalf, as a friend, I take it upon myself to apologise to the House, especially for his grossly inaccurate accusations which are more the product of blind hatred of the individual concerned than proven facts.
The priority of internal security and the protecting external borders must therefore be underscored firmly once again. Internal security and the fight against organised crime can no longer be matters purely for national competence. The trafficking of drugs and human beings and terrorism are transnational phenomena which can only be addressed at a higher level.
With regard to the need to create an internal judicial space, the differences between national Constitutions and judicial systems must be taken into account so that national legislation can be genuinely harmonised.
The European arrest warrant must be accepted as an essential tool for combating terrorism and crime but, if it is to be genuinely effective, it needs to be handled in the same way in all the Member States. Only thus will the citizens be able to have guarantees of effectiveness in the fair handling of individual cases and the certainty of justice rather than the freedom and rights of the powerful – as somebody in this Chamber has insinuated – but the freedom and rights of all the citizens, including citizens of third countries who wish to live and work lawfully in Europe. We must fight to stop Europe becoming the new forum for attempts to exploit the legal system to persecute political figures or other forms of intolerance which diminish the dignity of the individual.
In conclusion, Mr President, the battle against old and new forms of crime and unlawful activities, against organised crime, money laundering and corruption – combined with a bold fight against terrorism in all its forms – must not be confused with inquisition-like persecution. Henceforth, we must quickly build a common judicial space, maybe even placing the rules governing penal law under the first pillar again, making the different legal systems consistent and with the objective of combining inflexibility in fighting unlawful activities with firm consolidation of the Rule of Law.
Mr President, we must never forget that our task here is to build, all together, a Europe based on the freedom of the citizens."@en1
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