Brussels, 19/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - MEPs as a whole welcomed, on Wednesday, the proposals made by the European Commission to fight against terrorism and the creation of a European arrest warrant, while considering that things must be taken further, mainly by really making Europol work and by strengthening cooperation with the United States. Many also insisted on the importance of not creating a division between the West and the Arab world.
Belgian Minister for European Affairs Annemie Neyts opened discussions by recalling how shocked Europe had been by the attacks. She retraced all the actions taken or foreseen by the EU to respond to this crisis: - the meeting of special Councils (Foreign Ministers, Transport on Thursday, Justice and Home Affairs, and Friday the European Council), the need to develop European security and defence policies and foreign policy, and to develop cooperation with the United States and make further engagements in conflict areas. "The fight against international terrorism will be a long business", she stressed, considering that the EU must use all the instruments available to it.
"We need a European agenda to combat terrorism. It is an unique opportunity to demonstrate that the EU can guarantee an area of freedom, justice and security", said Commissioner Antonio Vitorino, who presented the Commission's "painfully topical" proposals to MEPs. The Commission hopes on one hand to harmonise the definition and the sanctions of terrorism, and present, on the other hand, an "ambitious proposal to replace extradition by a system of judicial handing-over based on a European arrest warrant", including for terrorists (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.8). The JHA Council on Thursday will, says the Commissioner, provide an opportunity to "pose the questions of principle at political level". It states it is necessary to strengthen Europol and for the States to do everything to step up cooperation between their intelligence, police and justice services.
EP rapporteur on terrorism, Graham Watson (ELDR, Britain) said he approved the Commission's proposals. He hoped that they would be adopted swiftly but deplored the fact that they were "yesterday's" proposals. In his view one must go much further: strengthen cooperation with the USA, settle legal conflicts, use the existing tools (Europol, Eurojust …) in a concrete way, fight against laundering, and get intelligence services to cooperate … He also hopes to do away with the distinction between the second and third pillars, so that everything comes under Community competence. Speaking on behalf of the EPP, Hans-Gert Pöttering (CDU) also approved the Commission's propposals and called on the Fifteen to use Europol and to give it a sufficient budget. He called for MEPs and parliamentarians of Arab countries to come together in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, "to launch a signal of partnership and friendship". Belgian national Paul Lannoye made the same appeal for the Greens, also calling on the Council to convince the US President to act with moderation. Enrique Baron (Socialist, Spain) called for the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal to be speeded up. Francis Wurtz (Communist, France) believes there are three questions: "being partners with but not under the obligation of the USA", not making a "crusade" against the Muslim world, and having a new approach to international security. Charles Pasqua (UEN, France) believed the Member States must finally decide to cooperate among themselves.