WRITTEN QUESTION E-2650/01

by Frank Vanhecke (NI) to the Council

(3 October 2001)

Subject: Combating terrorism in Europe

In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in the United States, it has become painfully clear that most EU Member States do not have specific legislation to combat terrorism.

This is particularly true of Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Six Member States do have specific legislation on combating terrorism: Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and Britain.

Thus in a Europe without internal border controls enormous disparities exist between Member States in this field.

Yet there are strong indications that numerous Islamic fundamentalist organisations have their logistic bases in Europe, where they can freely exploit the open borders.

What urgent recommendations will the Council make to these various Member States with a view to creating in the very near future at least a minimum uniform legal basis for combating the scourge of terrorism effectively?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-2650/01, E-2662/01 and E-2672/01

(12 February 2002)

The Council invites the Honourable Member of the European Parliament to refer to the conclusions/action plan as adopted on the occasion of its extraordinary meeting (Justice and Home Affairs) on 20 September 2001 and the conclusions of the European Council (21 September 2001) in which numerous practical measures for combating and preventing terrorism are listed.

Coordination of the intelligence services of the Member States of the European Union to combat terrorism is mentioned in the following recently adopted texts:

Paragraph 2(3) of the plan of action approved by the extraordinary European Council meeting on 21 September 2001 states that: Member States will share with Europol, systematically and without delay, all useful data regarding terrorism. A specialist anti-terrorist team will be set up within Europol as soon as possible .

Paragraph 2 of the Declaration adopted by the Heads of State or Government at the informal meeting of the European Council in Ghent on 19 October 2001 lists amongst immediate priorities increased cooperation between the operational services responsible for combating terrorism: Europol, Eurojust, the intelligence services, police forces and judicial authorities. Referring to the threat of biological or chemical terrorist attacks, paragraph 5 of the Ghent Declaration stresses that the authorities will maintain increased vigilance and cooperation between the intelligence, police, civil protection and health services will be stepped up.

The Council also informs the Honourable Member of the European Parliament that the European Commission has recently introduced a proposal for a draft Framework Decision which aims, inter alia, to provide for a uniform definition and offence of terrorism in the Member States.

The aforementioned draft Framework Decision has been transmitted to the European Parliament for its Opinion and its adoption by the Council is highly urgent in the light of the conclusions of the 21 September 2001 Extraordinary European Council.

On a practical level, it is for each of the Union's institutions to take measures to ensure that its own security services adapt to meet current threats.