Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-12-13-Speech-2-205"
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"en.20051213.55.2-205"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the compromise reached on the proposal for a directive that the Commission put forward only three months ago is the outcome of serious, professional, intense work carried out together by the three institutions of the European Union. It is also the result of their joint determination to stand shoulder to shoulder in fighting terrorism and organised crime.
If, as I sincerely hope, this Parliament comes out in favour of the compromise that has been reached, the 25 European Union Member States will have joint legislation on the retention of telecommunications traffic data. The efforts made by the courts and the police to protect the right of European citizens to security will thus be made more effective. That in itself is an important result, an initial but fundamental step towards the gradual harmonisation of national legislations.
Furthermore, if agreement is reached, it will emphasise the fact that issues of major importance to Europe’s people may now be addressed within a Community framework and no longer an intergovernmental one. There will thus be the possibility, or rather the right, for not just the Commission and the Council but also the European Parliament to participate fully on an equal footing. I should like to state publicly here that it was due to Minister Clarke’s personal commitment and brave determination that we reached agreement in the Council on changing the legal basis to a proposal for a directive, as it is now; only a few months ago that did not look at all easy. In my view, this result – this compromise – strikes a balance between the need for security and the need for freedom. That is a key objective that the Commission and I myself have pursued.
This compromise meets some of the most important requests made not just by the Council but, above all, by this Parliament during the intense debate of recent months. We have taken account of fundamental demands, such as the protection and security of personal data, imposing penalties on the illegal use of retained data, and restricting the application of the directive to serious crimes.
I also wish to emphasise here in this House, as I have already said to the Council, that it is vital that the principles of necessity and proportionality should always be observed in applying the much talked-about Article 15 of the 2002 directive currently in force. These are important results aiming at the protection of the fundamental rights of European citizens, and they comply with the general principles of Europe’s legislative action.
Mr President, as a closing consideration at this point, I should like to gratefully acknowledge the quality of the work done by this Parliament under difficult circumstances and in a very short time, compared with the average time taken by parliamentary work. It must also be recognised that certain aspects of this subject are highly complex in legal, technical and economic terms, and the initial positions on some topics appeared to be substantively very far apart. That is precisely why I should like in particular to express my personal gratitude and appreciation for the work of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, in which I took part on several occasions, and of its chairman, Mr Cavada, and rapporteur, Mr Alvaro.
Mr President, the Commission is thus very pleased with the compromise that has been reached and recommends that the European Parliament support the compromise by accepting particularly Amendments 51 to 92 signed by Mrs Roure and Mr Kreissl-Dörfler for the Socialist Group in the European Parliament and by Mr Reul for the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats.
I believe that this consensus can and must go beyond the amendments tabled by the two main groups in the European Parliament, and I am sure that an even broader consensus in Parliament would demonstrate to the people of Europe the full ability of this great institution – and indeed of the three European institutions – to work together to provide tangible answers to our fellow citizens’ demands."@en1
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