Against terrorism ” “

In its war against terrorism Europe is not satisfied just with speeches and commemorations. Concrete projects, a joint mobilization of governments, secret services and police forces, and the shared willingness to remove the roots of organized violence are also needed. Last week the EU commemorated the victims of the terrorist attacks of Madrid on 11 March 2004, while at the same time re-launching the actions it has long begun against international terrorism. OPEN COMMEMORATIONS AND QUESTIONS. “The 11 March placed Europeans in a world perspective of terrorism, which has assumed a global dimension and needs a global response”, said the President of the European Parliament, the Spaniard Josep Borrell, in his speech before the chamber in Strasbourg, a year after the massacre in Madrid. Borrell added that “democracy has never yielded to terrorism” and that it “cannot be exported by military means”. In his address, Borrell also explained that “traditional cross-border judicial cooperation is no longer enough” and listed several still outstanding questions in the field of law enforcement: “What are the basic problems that prevent the full operational capacity of Europol? When will we have a European public prosecutor? When will we have European legislation that prevents money-laundering, fundamental for combating organized crime and its links with terrorism?”. Lastly, the President of the EP recalled the need to “foster cultural and religious dialogue, without forgetting cooperation in development”, to “bring peoples closer together” and sever the roots of terrorism. A ceremony was also held in Brussels on 11 March, involving 500 students. The European Parliament is due to adopt a “package” of anti-terrorism measures in May. A COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN. “The Union is in a position to promote democracy beyond its own frontiers. But it does not intend to do so with force. The right road is that of aid to consolidate democracy, to support material development, and to create dialogue and respect between all countries”, said the EU Commissioner for justice, the Italian Franco Frattini, in a briefing to SIR in which he explained the foundations of EU action to curb organized violence. Could further enlargement of the EU frontiers help democracy to put down roots and contribute to the fight against terrorism? “Of course we are looking to the Balkans with great attention – Frattini replied -, without excluding future accessions, as has already happened in the cases of Slovenia and Bulgaria. In other cases, including Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, greater prudence is needed; the way of the reinforcement of non-institutional forms of cooperation and partnership could be a good solution for the time being”. The Commissioner is working to define the European anti-terrorism plan. “Our task – he explains – is to formulate overall strategies that go beyond military reaction. It is of fundamental importance in fact to diffuse democratic awareness: terrorism threatens everyone, our lives, our values, and that’s why a European response is needed, while remaining firm in our respect for the fundamental rights and liberties of persons”. Frattini also insists on the need to implement some fundamental points of the so-called Hague Strategy, beginning with “specific projects to materially and psychologically help the victims of terrorism”. To this the Commissioner adds “the circulation of information between the intelligence services; the need to strike at the financial sources of terrorism; rapid reaction in the case of terrorist attacks; and close collaboration with neighbouring States, with the USA, with the Mediterranean area and the Middle East”. EUROPEAN ARREST WARRANT AND PASSPORT. The European Council in June ought to review the decisions already taken by the Union and authorize the new strategy of action. On 5 September 2001, a week before the attacks on the Twin Towers, the European Parliament had in fact adopted a Resolution on the role of the EU in cracking down on international terrorism; at the same time it had given a mandate to the Council to introduce the “European arrest warrant”, now active in 24 member states. Various provisions have been taken since then, including the freezing of the assets of persons suspected of extremist actions (autumn 2001), accords with the USA on extradition and judicial cooperation (2003), the settlement of the dispute with the USA on the transmission of data relating to air passengers bound for the USA (2003-2004), plans for the new European passports comprising biometric data (Council of Thessalonica, June 2003), and the nomination of the European Coordinator for Anti-Terrorism (2004), the Dutchman Gijs de Vries, who does not disguise “the limited competences of the EU in the war against terrorism”, but who stresses that it must “encourage and support member states to coordinate their actions on a cross-border basis”.———————————————————————————————————– Sir Europa (English) N.ro assoluto : 1371 N.ro relativo : 20 Data pubblicazione : 17/03/05