Brussels, 16/07/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Monday, the Council and the European Commission published a joint declaration in which they express their "deepest solidarity with the Spanish people and authorities, and especially with the victims and their families" after the attacks carried out by the ETA in the Basque Country against two "public servants", a town councillor of the Union of the people of Navarre and a deputy superintendent of the Basque autonomous police. "These acts of terrorist violence are an attack against the very foundations of the democratic system on which the Union is based. Given such aggression, the Council and the Commission restate their firm determination to use every means available to them by the EU rule of law to combat terrorism", specifies the statement.
On the fringe of the General Affairs Council, the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, and the Spanish Foreign Minister, Josep Piqué, took part in a silent protest of about one hundred people at the Schuman roundabout, opposite the EU Council building.