Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-09-05-Speech-3-072"
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"en.20010905.3.3-072"2
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Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, underpinning the European Union and its Member States is the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the guarantee of human dignity and the protection of individuals and institutions enshrined in the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights.
All of these rights can be breached by acts of terrorism. In a completely democratic setting, such as we have in the Union and in its Member States, terrorist acts can never be justified, irrespective of where they are carried out or their aim. Acts of terrorism must never be considered to be political crimes or as crimes connected with, or inspired by, political motives. Terrorism must never be considered to be a way of solving a problem facing an individual or a group, regardless of its nature.
Over the last few years, Europe has seen an increase in terrorist activity within its borders, characterised by a profound change in the nature of the acts carried out. The actual or potential impact of armed attacks has become increasingly destructive and lethal as a consequence of technological changes taking place in the arms and explosives sector. New forms of terrorism are emerging as a result of the on-going and rapid development of information technologies, electronic databases and computer equipment.
Terrorists are able to exploit differences between the legal systems of various Member States and the difficulties in extraditing such people, especially when such an act is not covered by law in a given State. This aspect illustrates, as has been said several times during the debate, the inadequacy of traditional forms of judicial and police cooperation in combating terrorism. There is, therefore, a greater need today than ever before to adopt measures to fight terrorism by drafting legislative proposals designed to punish such acts.
The institutions of the European Union, in particular the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council, have continually condemned terrorism at a political level. Unfortunately, we have been called upon unusually frequently to state this position as a result of the terrorist actions of ETA in Spain. Our solidarity with the Spanish people and especially with the victims of terrorism in Spain is unequivocal and unceasing. We must build on this solidarity with more effective actions. This is why Article 29 of the Treaty of Amsterdam refers specifically to common action in three areas: closer cooperation between police forces, customs agencies and other competent authorities, including Europol, closer cooperation between Member States’ judicial authorities and approximation, where necessary, of criminal law provisions. Under Article 2 of the Europol Convention, terrorism falls within the competence of Europol.
Pursuant to Article 31(b) of the Treaty establishing the European Union and the Tampere conclusions, which states that formal extradition procedures between Member States will be abolished for individuals trying to escape justice, to be replaced by a simple transfer, the Commission has already announced its intention to present an initiative designed to abolish formal extradition procedures between Member States for certain types of crime and to create a ‘European search and arrest warrant’. The purpose is to combat not only terrorism but also other heinous transnational crimes. Similarly, the Commission intends to propose an approximation of criminal legislation on acts of terrorism, pursuant to Article 31(e) of the Treaty establishing European Union, not only covering traditional forms of terrorism, but also its newer incarnations. Lastly, the act of directing, promoting, supporting or belonging to a terrorist organisation must also be subject to a common standard. The Commission shares Parliament’s concerns with regard to protecting the victims of terrorism and intends to present, in the course of the current presidency, a Green Paper on compensating victims of crime in general and of terrorist crime in particular within the European Union.
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in conclusion, the Commission agrees with the principles set out in the excellent report by Mr Watson, whom I wish to warmly congratulate, and with the guidelines contained in the draft recommendation that Parliament is considering today. Following the work that we have been carrying out over the last few months, in close consultation with all Member States – and I must emphasise, with all Member States and not just with some – the Commission intends to propose to Parliament and to Council, in September, legislative initiatives on harmonising the definition of terrorism, on adopting the European search and arrest warrant and on replacing extradition procedures with rapid handover mechanisms for certain types of crime, including terrorism, thereby, I am sure, fully complying with the requests made in your draft recommendation.
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