By Nikos Bellos
Europe’s home ministers are expected to push for pan-European security measures against terrorism during Thursday’s emergency meeting of European justice and home affairs ministers in bomb-stricken Brussels.
The Dutch EU presidency’s call for the emergency meeting – amid Easter week for the western churches – comes as member-states and the Commission want to officially express their condolences for Belgium and its people.
Beyond the expected symbolism and expressions of sorrow, however, ministers are expected to tackle what’s being described as a delay in implementing measures on the EU level to effectively deal with jihadists targeting west Europe’s major cities.
Pan-European measures announced last November after the Islamist extremists’ attacks in Paris are either on the EU Council’s drawing board or still tied up in Euro-parliament deliberations. One sensitive issue facing MEPs is a proposal to give law enforcement agencies access to personal data of passengers on intra-EU flights. That idea has generated criticism that it infringes on citizens’ rights to protection from blanket state monitoring of their travel.
Nevertheless, French PM Manuel Valls on Wednesday demanded that MEPs pass the relevant legislation within the coming month.
Another proposal by the Commission is for a pan-European registration of firearms and further restrictions on firearms – measures that are in limbo. That measure also has critics, who scoff at the notion that terrorists and criminals will be at a loss to find weapons.
Of more importance is the establishment of stricter checks on all entries to Schengen pact countries, which in light of the ongoing refugee crisis will generate increased attention.
Information sharing will also be on the agenda. One facet of the latest terrorist attack was the fact that the alleged perpetrators of the bombings in Brussels were common criminals with rap sheets, something, however, not shared with law enforcement agencies of other countries, such as neighboring France.
