Video: https://youtu.be/bYCX_HjeSd0
Dear all,
We meet in this press room today in the shadow of the tragic events in Berlin on Monday night, which have deeply shocked and saddened us all.
At a time when Europeans are gathering ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations, we are now overcome by grief.
Our thoughts are first and foremost with all those who have been affected directly and indirectly by the events in Berlin. Our thoughts are with all the Berliners. Our thoughts are with all of Germany.
But it is in times like these that we must stick together: as citizens, as neighbours, as Europeans.
We must not give in to fear, and we must not alter our way of living, gathering and celebrating.
We must never renounce our basic principles and fundamental values that define our free and open societies.
Unfortunately, we have had to go through similar moments across Europe in the past year.
But such events have not intimidated us – they have strengthened our determination and our resilience.
In fact, Europe altogether is stronger and more resilient now than a year ago.
Ever since we put the European Agenda on Security on the table in April 2015, we have made significant progress in our joint fight against terrorism, in improving the tools to increase information sharing amongst Member States, and in strengthening the management of our external borders – thereby increasingly adding the building blocks towards an effective Security Union.
We have created and upgraded the European Counter Terrorism Centre at Europol to improve information exchange and foster more trust; and Europol is already being mobilised to help the German authorities.
We have agreements on the terrorism and firearms directives which will help us fight terrorism already in the early stages, by targeting its tools and means.
Today we add additional instruments through our terrorist financing package on the criminalisation of money laundering, illicit cash flows, and freezing and confiscation of assets – which Commissioners Jourova and King will further explain.
We have also collectively stepped up our preventive activities through the Radicalisation Awareness Network and the Internet Forum, in an effort to counter radicalisation, particularly at the individual, solitary and online level, before it turns into violence.
But it’s not just about improving trust – it’s equally about improving the operational actions on the ground, better connecting all the dots, and all our information systems.
As I have said many times before: terrorism knows no borders – which is precisely why effective external border management plays a vital role in safeguarding our overall internal security.
The establishment of the European Border and Coast Guard is an important milestone in that regard.
We are now also operationalising our EU Passenger Name Record framework, and we have recently obtained an agreement on systematic checks for everyone who crosses our external borders.
In addition, we have also proposed the Entry-Exit System to monitor all cross-border movements of third-country nationals, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System for visa-free travellers, as well as an Action Plan to counter Travel Document Fraud.
Today we go a step further, with our proposals to reinforce the Schengen Information System to better fight terrorism, cross-border crime and irregular migration.
Very concretely, we introduce the obligation to create a SIS alert in cases related to terrorist offences and a new ‘inquiry check’, as well as new alert categories for “unknown wanted persons” and return decisions.
This will contribute to the effective enforcement of any entry ban for third-country nationals at the external border by making its introduction in the SIS compulsory.
In addition, Europol and Eurojust get full access rights, and the new European Border and Coast Guard too.
However, enhancing our security when mobility is increasing globally does not mean we should limit mobility as such.
We want Europe to become safer, but not closed.
Our visa reciprocity progress report today should be seen precisely in this context, where we are working towards full visa-waiver reciprocity between the EU and both Canada and the US respectively.
Finally, I wish to end on two points.
Firstly, fighting terrorism is not just a European challenge, but a global one.
We are united with our neighbours and partners in Turkey, in the Middle East and in Northern Africa,
but also the United States, in this joint fight and endeavour to make the world a safer place for all.
Secondly, while we say that our openness should not come at the expense of our security – so too our security should not come at the expense of our openness and tolerance.
We must remain an open and hospitable society, where freedom and security are two sides of the same coin.
Thank you.