12 December 2018
The European Parliament’s has today adopted a final report from the Special Committee on Terrorism that includes a series of recommendations aimed at better supporting Member States in the fight against terrorism. ECR Flemish MEP Helga Stevens co-authored the Parliament’s report that was drafted following extensive research and contacts with police and intelligence services across Europe.
Speaking after the vote, Stevens said: “The terrorist attacks in the centre of Strasbourg, yesterday evening, highlight the imminent threat and absolute urgency of dealing better with this sad new reality. Today our report has been put to the vote in the same city, the seat of the European Parliament.
“Many innovative ideas have been proposed, such as the EU black list for hate preachers, allowing people renting cars to be cross-checked against police databases, and including private planes under the PNR Directive.
Within the adopted text, the committee presented its vision of a more coordinated security policy that covers a range of policy areas as well as looking at what could be done at EU level to help tackle the terror threat. Among their proposals, they recommended:
Stevens continued:
“We are recommending also best practices, such as the local anti-radicalisation cells introduced in Belgium. And we put the victims at the forefront, by asking for medical costs to be automatically pre-paid after an attack and smoother insurance procedures. These are just a few examples from the comprehensive and poignant report.”