Brussels, 20/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 20 April, the European Commission again highlighted in a report on implementing its European security agenda published on 28 April 2015, the need for member states to strengthen information exchanges between their services, particularly in their fight against terrorism.
Just under a month after the Brussels attacks on 22 March, the European Commission also warned them against the risk of fragmentation "which makes us vulnerable", explained Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, during a press conference. The latter believes that the security of a member state underpins the security of the entire EU and he called for a change in the mindsets of member states and law enforcement agencies. He also urged them to exchange appropriate information between one another.
Although he welcomed the results obtained in certain dossiers, such as the directive on European PNR and the collection of airline passenger data, which the EP finalised on 14 April, the Commissioner highlighted the delays on other instruments such as the directives on firearms which he said "is still on the table", as well as the dossier on explosives, which has been "adopted but not yet implemented".
The Commissioner also indicated that the Commission would put forward new proposals in the autumn for developing the European Counter Terrorism Agency, launched last January and which will be located at the Europol premises, which will also be reinforced. The Commission therefore believes it urgent that the EU28 begins joint evaluations of threats involving terrorism and radicalisation.
In its report, the Commission outlines the priorities that should be implemented by member states. The report recommends that in an effort to tackle potential terrorists returning to their countries of origin in the EU, the respective national authorities should "be completely informed of the movements of foreign terrorist combatants when they arrive in a country or leave it, as well as share this information between themselves and the EU agencies, by way of the Schengen Information System and the Europol European Centre for Fighting Terrorism".
The priority should be put on preventing radicalisation and recruiting European citizens by terrorist organisations. Member states should attempt to ensure that people who have already been radicalised follow de-radicalisation programmes and are prevented from spreading terrorist propaganda or hate speech and that information about the people most exposed to the risk of radicalisation are exchanged for preventive purposes.
The EP and the Council are also encouraged to reach an agreement as soon as possible "on the Commission's draft directive on fighting terrorism". In the area of information exchange, the EP and Council should also proceed to the swift conclusion of the revised version of the regulation on Europol and adopt the legislative proposals presented by the Commission for improving information exchange and the interoperability of databases and information systems, such as the extension of the European Criminal Information Service (ECRIS) on nationals from third countries, explained the Commission.
The report also refers to terrorists' access to sources of finance and the action plan on tackling the funding of terrorism, the protection of critical infrastructure and the external dimension of the fight against terrorism. The communication will be discussed on Thursday morning 21 April in Luxembourg by Ministers of the Interior. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)