... A threat towards Europe needs a European
response – and we have been calling for it for
months.” To this end, he highlights the importance
of improving coordination among security servic-
es, claiming that: “We absolutely need more coor-
dination and more information exchange. The fact
that the perpetrators of the Paris and Brussels
attacks were known to the police proves this once
again. Information gathering and information
exchange are the cornerstone of our security. Our
information needs to be inter-connected. Our sys-
tems need to talk to each other. That is where we
need to improve, urgently. Last year we launched
the European Counter Terrorism Centre in
Europol. Member States have to use it more and
better, by sharing information proactively and
consistently, by offering resources and sending
experts. Member States have to trust each other.
“We are all facing the same challenges, so we
need a coherent and coordinated approach.
T
his quote by Dimitris Avramopoulos,
European Commissioner for Migration,
Home Affairs and Citizenship
encom-
passes the essence of dealing with the refugee
crisis, as well as protecting European cohesion,
which is recently suffering unprecedented terror-
ist attacks. Referring to the bloody and “blind”
strikes against the metropolises of the European
Union, Mr. Avramopoulos says that we must all
show our human and civilised face, and we must
also show “to those that wish to divide us, that we
respond with more unity, cohesion and strength.”
More specifically, he says that: “What has hap-
pened in Brussels, has happened unfortunately
already in Paris, in Madrid, in London, but also
outside Europe in Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Mali
– and the list unfortunately goes on. But precisely
because it has happened before, we know that
each time the citizens of these cities, the citizens of
Europe, have come out stronger and more united.
Trade with Greece
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Dimitris Avramopoulos:
“We are not talking about numbers.
We are talking about people. In the old
days, our own ancestors were in the
same shoes. Being forced to flee one’s
country is a phenomenon that has
always marked tragic periods of world
history. This is what we are experiencing today.
But today we have a United Europe. Its principles and
values are being daily tested. Closed borders and
fences have nothing to do with European principles,
philosophy, and policy.”
By Dimitris Giannakopoulos Photos: Iakovos Hatzistavrou
“We are at the peak
of two crises: security
and migration”
