Dear President, honourable Members of the European Parliament.
Thank you for giving me the chance to discuss with you today this issue, just before flying to Riga for the Informal Justice and Home Affairs Council.
The brutal terrorist attacks in Paris were an attack against our fundamental values. It has become, once again, clear that Europe faces an increased and severe terrorist threat. We have seen that terrorism knows no borders: terrorist travel, financing or, access to weapons are, by definition, cross-border and require a strong, united and coherent response by the entire Union.
But this is also not the moment for competition amongst the institutions to act and to be seen as acting. We must avoid announcing badly thought ideas which cannot deliver.
Member States remain primarily responsible for security. But Europe is part of the solution. There are a lot of relevant EU tools and measures already in place. The Commission is determined to take an approach that is comprehensive, result oriented and realistically deliverable, with a focus on maximising the added value of existing EU measures and, where necessary, proposing new and complementary proposals. The Commission can add value by looking at gaps in the effectiveness of existing operational law enforcement and cooperation tools.
Security is essential for a functioning democratic society. It is a prerequisite for our citizens’ well-being and a prerequisite for citizens to exercise their rights. Freedom and security are two sides of the same coin; they are not conflicting goals.
Developing such a response requires that we all work together. The European Parliament is our strategic partner in developing an effective response that will respect our fundamental rights and values and is in line with the expectations of the citizens of the EU.
This is why I am here, to present and discuss our latest thinking and lines of action, aiming at fighting against terrorism and radicalisation in the context of the preparation of the European Agenda on Security, which was announced in our Work Programme.
All Institutions will be examining further actions on countering terrorism in the context of the upcoming European Agenda on Security. A first discussion on this is expected to take place at the informal JHA Council in Riga and in the meeting of the European Council on 12 February.
A new Agenda for European Security will be presented in the coming months for the years 2015-2020. This agenda should aim to ensure the highest level of protection of fundamental rights of our citizens and those residing, staying in or visiting the EU. Upholding our democratic values and ensuring security are not only compatible, they are mutually reinforcing.
There is a clear need to maximise the value of existing instruments and deliver on pending proposals, before developing further measures. Furthermore, we must make sure that the measures that are in place allow us to effectively tackle the problems we face.
To maximize the value of existing EU measures we also need to make the best use of the Schengen Information System under the existing EU law for checks on travel documents and on persons at the external borders and assess any need for improvements.
The Commission is and will assist further the Member States in identifying common risk criteria for checks on persons. Europol in particular will play an important role in the implementation of the future Agenda. We need to make sure that it receives all necessary information from all Member States to deliver its added value in terms of intelligence and threat assessments. The same goes for Eurojust – already in 2005 it was decided that the Member States should provide counter-terrorism information to both agencies.
On cyber security and the protection of critical infrastructures, we need to reassess whether additional action is needed. The Boston marathon bombing highlighted the vulnerability of public events. We will work to better protect such “soft targets”, but also critical infrastructure. A number of initiatives and trials are ongoing which will feed into our reflection for future proposals.
Delivering on pending proposals is where this house can add value and respond to calls from citizens. One example is the EU Passenger Name Record Directive (EU PNR).
An EU PNR directive is necessary to enhance substantially the security of all people living in Europe. We need to make sure that our law enforcement authorities have access to data which is necessary for the prevention of terrorist acts and serious transnational crimes.
No decision has been made, except of the commitment of the Commission to work together with the co-legislators to achieve a legal instrument which is both effective and is fully in line with fundamental rights.
I am looking forward to see and intend to help the European Parliament and the Council to move forward quickly on this file. I read – we all have read – articles about what the position of the Commission would be. Let me be clear: the Commission did not come forward with a modified proposal or any other initiative today; it was never planned. There has not even been a discussion in College since the Orientation debate on the European Security Agenda. Everything which is published, allegedly reflecting a Commission official position or decision is, therefore, wrong.
In terms of the Data Protection Reform, and in particular the law enforcement directive, I call on the co-legislators to work together towards a quick adoption. This will be essential in providing a clear and predictable framework for the processing of personal data in Member States, and the exchange of such data between law enforcement authorities. Furthermore, we need to optimise the sharing of information between law enforcement authorities.
To this end, the adoption of the Europol and Eurojust legal frameworks and the pending proposal to improve cross-border law enforcement training will be crucial. But progress can already be achieved without waiting for this. We will soon organise a joint meeting with Europol and Eurojust to see how information sharing can already be improved under the current legal framework.
The Commission is seizing this moment of the preparatory work before the adoption of Agenda to consider whether further measures are needed to address the evolving threat, including whether the existing EU legal framework needs reinforcement. We had our first discussion with my fellow Commissioners just last week. It is clear that the fight against terrorism will be a major focus of this Agenda.
Let me now put forward some preliminary reflections on the objectives the European Agenda on Security.
We must continue to support comprehensively Member States in preventing and addressing radicalisation and other forms of extremism.
The fight against arms trafficking is an important building block. We need to review the implementation of the existing legislation and ensure greater exchange of information between Member States and with Europol, Eurojust and Interpol.
At the same time, the fight against organised crime and terrorism financing needs to be stepped up. We must also deprive terrorists of their sources of finance. The link with organised crime is striking. Ensuring the effective implementation of the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive and the Funds Transfers Regulation agreed upon in December is crucial. The existing tools to confiscate criminal assets must be used. We must ensure the speedy execution of all confiscation orders.
We must carefully re-assess the need for and the added value of possible EU solutions for data retention respecting the principles set out by the Court of Justice last year. The Commissions is monitoring and evaluating the situation in each Member State before discussing the way ahead with the co-legislators.
We must find sound solutions for the exchange of Passenger Name Record data with those third countries that are key to our security interests and to make sure that they are fully coherent with the solutions to be reached for EU PNR. Full implementation by Member States of existing legislative instruments on information exchange is, therefore, key.
But I think that we need also to consider how to strengthen EUROPOL’s intelligence analysis capabilities on terrorism and radicalisation-related threats. We need to expand the use of existing EU Policy Cycle tools to address serious and organised crime related threats, also for threats relating to terrorism and radicalisation.
On the external front, the EU is stepping up its assistance towards neighbouring countries and regions. The particular focus is on law enforcement co-operation, information exchange, extending criminal law tools and anti-radicalisation efforts.
Honourable Members, delivering rapidly and effectively on our response requires political will and setting clear priorities. The Commission has voiced its determination to take this up as a matter of priority.
Working hand in hand with the European Parliament on developing a coherent response will be essential for defining and developing actions that keep Europe both secure and open.
Thank you.