On Thursday 17 November, the negotiators from the European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on the directive aimed at tackling terrorism – a proposal that had been put forward at the end of 2015 in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks and that is aimed at punishing assistance to the preparation of terrorist attacks (see EUROPE 11444).
The provisional agreement still needs to be confirmed by EU ambassadors, who are due to focus on the issue on 30 November, a source stated, as well as by the Parliament's civil liberties committee, which in turn could vote on the subject in early December.
The provisional agreement was announced by European Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King at the EU interior ministers' meeting on 18 November, with King saying he was optimistic that this issue could be settled by the end of the year.
According to a European source, the negotiators managed to find compromises on the main outstanding issues. The directive is thus expected to criminalise not only travel abroad to train for terrorist attacks but also travel within the EU for the same objective, the source stated. Helping organise travel within the EU – for example, by transporting someone in one's car who is preparing a terrorist attack, or by buying the person a plane ticket – will also be punished. Member states' efforts to exchange information will also be strengthened under the terms of this compromise.
The negotiators have furthermore reportedly strengthened the rights of victims and given more detail on the help they can claim. The modalities for this help are clarified, for example, with regard to communication with the victims' families, the source states, although the general approach of the Council was more vague. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)