Brussels, 10/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 9 July, the EPP Group in the European Parliament was critical of the resolution adopted (by 250 votes to 204, with 184 abstentions) on the European agenda on security, presented by the European Commission on 28 April. The EPP was unhappy with the “naïve” view of the S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL Groups, said Monika Hohlmeier, and voted against the resolution.
“At a time of unprecedented threats to our security, the Socialists opt to safeguard criminals' fundamental rights. The Socialists and Liberals have a huge mistrust of policing authorities ... They are limiting the possibilities for the police to chase criminals and terrorists and this is a position that the EPP Group cannot support”, she said in a press release.
Hohlmeier was unhappy, too, that encryption, which protects the confidentiality of messages between internet users, was maintained as a right, even though several governments want to ban it for reasons of internal security. This, she said, is tantamount to leaving cybercriminals to do as they please.
Hohlmeier regretted, too, that the link between irregular immigration and terrorism was rejected by MEPs. This approach to security is, in her view “reckless and unacceptable”.
In their resolution, MEPs highlight their “condemnation of measures entailing the vast and systematic blanket collection of the personal data of innocent people”. They underline the need for democratic oversight, at national and European levels, of security measures and regret that no EU definition exists of national security, a weakness, they say, that allows vagueness to be maintained in legislative instruments, proposed or in use.
The resolution calls on the Commission to table a legislative proposal amending the second generation Schengen Information System to harmonise the alert criteria and make compulsory alerts regarding persons convicted or suspected of terrorism. MEPs acknowledge the need to make progress on the directive on the European PNR, to gather passengers' personal data, that has to be finalised before the end of this year (the civil liberties committee will vote on Tuesday).
Parliament condemns any lumping together of terrorism, immigration and Islam, and also serious violations of fundamental rights, epitomised by the secret CIA prisons in Europe. (Solenn Paulic)