Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-23-Speech-3-184"
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"en.20021023.4.3-184"2
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"Madam President, after what in particular Mr Coelho– our Chairman and committee coordinator last year – has just said, there is little to add.
I would just like to point out that, last year, the Italian Socialist Party delegation abstained in the vote on the Smith report because the report did not place sufficient emphasis on the fact that the indiscriminate interception of communications by Echelon are contrary to any human rights legislation. Indeed, interception is not subject to any restrictions, it is not authorised by a legal decision and the objectives are not stated. It is like casting a net and waiting for someone to say the word ‘bomb’ or ‘attack’. Since then, we have not expressed an opinion.
After 11 September, of course, all this was forgotten, and people said to each other: ‘You see how necessary the secret service is!’ It is necessary, but the objection could have been raised that, considering its failure to prevent terrorism thus far, it might not be very effective. In any case, before us today is a report which reveals that not a great deal has been done to comply with the requests, the 44 recommendations we had made. I, for one, feel that it is essential for the Commission’s report to be published so that the citizens receive some information. It is also essential to insist that legislation respecting the Charter of Fundamental Rights – both that devised by the Convention and that we adopted before Nice – be introduced in all the countries of the Union. This should be a condition for membership of the Union.
Of course, the problem then arises of democratic control of the secret services in the various States, which is, in effect, largely non-existent. Lastly, I would point out – without wishing to cause offence – that the United Kingdom is still a Member of Echelon and I believe continues to work together with the United States, in other words with the people masterminding all the anti-terrorist activities, who are explicitly violating human rights – consider Guantanamo, the bombings and such like. How can we be sure that these so-called allies of ours are not violating human rights through intercepting communications too?"@en1
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