Brussels, 04/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Next week, the European Union is to commemorate the attacks on Madrid on 11 March 2004, with short declarations at the European Parliament on Thursday. The Presidents of the European Commission and the European Parliament will then attend a ceremony in Madrid on Friday, and a general report will be adopted by the European Commission.
The European Commission had also planned to adopt various initiatives on the traceability of explosives, the creation of an ARGUS general warning system and a crisis centre within the European Commission by 11 March. The proposals on explosives will be adopted later during the first half of the year, and the others at the beginning of the second half. On Tuesday, the European Commission will adopt a report, the outlines of which were presented by Commissioner Frattini at the European Council of 24 February. This is a very general document which stresses the importance of the fight against terrorism and recalls the initiatives taken by the EU. The report ends with an appeal for better information exchange between the Member States. Last week, the Council adopted conclusions on this, stressing the European Union's values and solidarity with the victims, without referring to operational cooperation.
After the attacks of 11 September 2001 in New York, the European Union adopted an action plan against terrorism, which is regularly updated. The Member States adopted a framework decision which brings together the definition of and sanctions for terrorism and lists of terrorists and terrorist organisations which are banned in Europe and whose assets have been frozen. After the attacks of 11 March, the EU took on an anti-terrorism coordinator, the Dutch Gijs de Vries.