Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-05-Speech-3-028"
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"en.20070905.2.3-028"2
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"Mr President, I do think that it has been repeated
that the phenomenon of terrorism — which is, of course, clearly recognisable groups — is not only a European issue, it is a global issue, as the Council said, and there is no doubt that we need global and European responses.
I would also like to point out that our Group supports the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, whoever it may be, but it should be soon. What is important is that he or she should not be a paper tiger, but have a clear and strong mandate.
Finally, and I will end here, I think that it is right to say that the European Union’s action in the fight against terrorism and its consequences should include an essential dimension: support and protection for victims and their families.
I believe, and in view of what Mr Frattini said about what happened this morning in Frankfurt, which I also heard about, that it is perhaps the most important challenge facing the EU, because it not only affects the security of citizens and their physical integrity, but it also seeks to undermine something very important: it seeks to undermine the values of democratic societies. This is why it is so important for the European Union to seek joint responses.
I believe that this oral question to Parliament shows how much Parliament wants to make progress in the fight against terrorism, but it also shows that we have concerns, because Mr Watson presented a number of issues that may be aberrations, in the context of the measures that we are taking, because above all, in this fight we also have a responsibility to democracy and freedom, which is very important and cannot be forgotten.
I would also like to say that I think the measures are necessary, like everything that we have done, and everything that Mr Frattini says is going to happen, and that the work done by the police is also very significant, but not sufficient. In my view we also need to strengthen policies that create integration and dialogue between different cultures. I think that the alliance of civilisations is a valid instrument in the fight against terrorism.
We need to continue with what we discussed in Tampere and the work that we then did in The Hague in order to consolidate what we said: the balance between freedom, security and justice.
This is why the European Parliament hastened to adopt the Prüm Treaty before the summer. This possibility of quickly and efficiently exchanging accurate information is of vital importance for achieving international cooperation against terror.
It is true that we are saying that we need to reconcile these rights of citizens and human beings with guaranteeing security. The European Parliament has a decisive role, but, as the Council says, nowadays Parliament does not effectively have a say on what is done in this field.
Either the Council takes a unanimous decision or it takes no decision. This is why I think that this weakens and curbs the European Union’s power to respond to new challenges. As Mr Watson said so clearly, the only opportunity the European Parliament has to work with the Council is a courtesy meeting, and as a democratically elected assembly we should have the opportunity to take part in decisions.
We welcome the creation of the European Agency for Fundamental Rights, and we hope that this agency will be able to fairly monitor all the EU’s activities in the field of police and judicial cooperation."@en1
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