Brussels, 01/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Belgian Presidency presented a "roadmap" to the JHA Council, explaining all the measures that the EU should apply to combat terrorism. "Some elements of this roadmap are already in place", pointed out Antoine Duquesne, Belgian Minister for the Interior. He hoped the whole mechanism would be working in December. The key date will be the JHA Council of 6 and 7 December, when many texts are to be adopted. In the meantime, the police, justice and intelligence services of the Fifteen are expected to meet to coordinate their activities. Additional meetings of the Council's working groups are planned. The main measures to be taken include:
Strengthening the legislative arsenal: - The arrangements for a European arrest warrant must be fixed and a common definition of terrorism made by 6 and 7 December at the latest, on the basis of proposals by the Commission; - a common list of terrorist organisations must be established (the deadline has not been fixed but is "very urgent"); - extradition conventions must be ratified for 1 January 2002 and the criminal cooperation convention during 2002; - one or several joint investigation teams must be formed (immediately, at the initiative of the police or the Belgian prosecutor's department); - a framework decision must be adopted for the constitution of joint inquiry teams, at the JHA in December (political agreement in October in Council and emergency consultation of Parliament); - there must be a Commission proposal on the use of electronic communications systems by prosecuting authorities, expected before the JHA-Ecofin of 16 October; - a draft directive must be adopted on the protection of data (on the table, no deadline given); - there must be a Commission proposal before March 2002 on an information exchange network on visas issued; - arrangements must be examined for coordinated use of Article 2.2 of the Schengen Convention; - the Community mechanism for coordination of intervention on civil protection matters must be adopted by the Council mid-October; and safety norms in airports and aircraft must be strengthened.
Cooperation of magistrates, the police and intelligence services: - Eurojust must meet the anti-terrorist magistrates (first meeting mid-October); the task force of police chiefs must meet anti-terrorist specialists before 1 November; - the Member States must systematically transmit data on terrorism to Europol (the Europol director will address a report to the JHA Council of 6 and 7 December on this subject); - a team of anti-terrorist experts must be formed as soon as possible within Europol, and report in March 2002; - there must be better coordination between Europol, Pro-Eurojust and the Chief of Police Task Force (the Council must deal with this within a time period that is not fixed but which is urgent); - the suitability of enlarging access to the Schengen Information Service (working group on 8 October) must be examined; - regular meetings of Heads of Intelligence Services must be held (first meeting before 1 November); - and an inventory of national measures and early warning plans will be drawn up by the Council's working group on terrorism and by Europol.
Fight against the funding of terrorism: The UN Convention on funding terrorism must be signed and ratified as a matter of urgency. Support must be given to the Indian proposal to organise a UN convention against international terrorism. The decision-framework on the freezing of assets must be adopted at the JHA Council on 6 and 7 December. Measures must be taken against territories that do not cooperate, as identified by the FATF at the JHA/Ecofin Council of 16 October.
Cooperation with the United States: This includes: - Assessment of the terrorist threat from every aspect within working groups of the Council and Europol, in collaboration with the United States; - greater EU/US cooperation in international bodies; - closer cooperation between Europol and the American Law Enforcement Agencies (immediately for informal cooperation, on 16 November for an agreement without data exchange, before the end of the year for data exchange); - the negotiation of a bilateral agreement for judicial cooperation (a mandate will be given to the presidency at the JHA Council in November); - and cooperation between Pro-Eurojust and American magistrates (first meeting scheduled for the second half of October).
Involvement of candidate countries in measures taken by the EU.