Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-06-07-Speech-2-059"
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"en.20050607.5.2-059"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, this debate illustrates that Parliament is aware of the serious threat posed by terrorism and is determined to take strong action to combat it. I therefore congratulate the rapporteurs.
There is a threat to our society, to our way of life, to our freedom, and we will only combat that threat if there is full cooperation at both European and international levels, and if we have a coherent policy rather than a mere list of initiatives, as both the Commissioner and Mr Oreja have both rightly pointed out. On the other hand, those who favour a strategy whereby we pretend that we are not targets are fooling themselves, and are doing so on two counts.
Firstly, because that attitude feeds into the very essence of terrorism, namely that by instilling fear, it prevents us from living our lives, and secondly because it is only one way of affording us practical protection from a violent and very real threat. Yet whilst we know about the danger and wish to take action, we are also aware that much remains to be done. Such is the case with bioterrorism, which was referred to a moment ago and which now represents a danger that we must learn to deal with and that we are still clearly ill-prepared to address.
These weapons are inexpensive, small, easy to get hold of and have an enormous capacity for destruction, quite apart from the fact that merely simulating the use of such weapons is enough to cause widespread panic. Europe must therefore respond to the various requirements, be it via the Member States or by means of specific Community programmes. Stocks of medicines and vaccines must be kept, detection systems and rapid early warning systems must be improved, civil protection mechanisms such as national emergency plans must be stepped up, and a great deal of information must be made available.
Furthermore, these are the concerns that the Commission has also expressed. It must not be forgotten, however, that the EU has made undertakings and it is now time to turn plans into action, and in the context of our international obligations, especially those taken on by the United States in the field of combating bioterrorism, which are being developed on the other side of the Atlantic in the form of Project BioShield.
I shall conclude, Mr President, by saying that terrorism, and bioterrorism in particular, cuts across borders. The fight against it must also, therefore, cut across borders."@en1
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