On Monday 11 June, the European commissioner for security, Julian King, presented the Commission’s legislative package on security, unveiled during April, to civil liberties MEPs and Parliament's special commission on terrorism.
The package is made up of several legislative proposals on access to electronic evidence, financial information, identity cards and the acquisition of explosives precursors (see EUROPE 12003).
On the whole, on all issues, MEPs hailed the work done by the Commission. Roberta Metsola (EPP, Malta) said the proposal on financial information will make it possible to encourage “cooperation culture”. Actions should take into account the connection between organised crime and terrorism, he underlined.
Gérard Deprez (ALDE, Belgium), who is rapporteur on the dossier, above all applauded the work of the Commission on identity cards. He told the commissioner: “What you are doing is a considerable step towards free movement”. In his view, the Commission did not go too far by making it an obligation for member states that do not have identity cards to have them. Neither does the Commission plan to create a “Big Brother” with identity elements, he explained.
Nonetheless, Deprez considers that the provisions on security elements, mainly the collection of facial images and fingerprints, might be more of a problem.
When it comes to electronic evidence, many MEPs underlined the need to have guarantees and to respect fundamental rights. Sophie in’t Veld (ALDE, Netherlands), for her part, expressed “surprise” to see mention of the American “CLOUD Act” in European legislation. “When one deals with the United States, I lose all confidence in the Commission”, she said, accusing the Commission of protecting its friendship with the United States rather than protecting European citizens.
“This is a package that was designed so that terrorists find it harder to travel, to fund their activity (...) and which aims to eliminate some of the barriers that hinder the circulation of evidence”, explained King. In so doing, he seized the moment to appeal to MEPs so that they might adopt these texts as quickly as possible and “go through all the necessary stages with this Parliament”. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)