22/04/2016 Session
All Council of Europe member States must urgently draw conclusions from the tragic events in Brussels and other member States, which are “also due to failures and shortcomings” at national, EU and international levels. “Co-ordination in the Brussels Capital Region has not proven sufficiently functional to respond to modern security needs and therefore needs to be profoundly reformed”, the Assembly said.
Adopting a resolution - based on a report by Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD) - at the end of an urgent debate, the parliamentarians called for “a common European intelligence and counterterrorism unit”. In the face of ever-growing international terrorist networks, a co-ordinated pan-European response “is needed more than ever”, they said. As terrorism is an international phenomenon, counter-terrorism efforts must go beyond European boundaries and involve the third countries ready to co-operate, in particular in neighbouring regions.
At EU level, the Assembly welcomed the approval of the Passenger Name Record by the EP and underlined the need for an ambitious European security strategy, including better exchange of information between intelligence services and a closer co-operation between police and judicial authorities.
“Our States are duty-bound to protect the lives of citizens and the fundamental values of democracy. Our societies must be ready to pay a much higher price for security with the highest possible respect for individual freedom, privacy and our democratic values”, the resolution underlines.
The parliamentarians urged State leaders not only to make solemn statements after terrorist attacks, but also to learn lessons and to take resolute action. “The statements are necessary to reaffirm our values but are not enough to protect them and to guarantee security”, they concluded.