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“And that is precisely what the Commission has
proposed from the very outset through its
European Agenda on Security. Certain issues are
still on the table, and others need to be imple-
mented properly. Last year, the Commission pre-
sented proposals to make it more difficult to
acquire firearms in the European Union. The
European Parliament and member states have to
work quickly and constructively now, because we
have to reduce the risks of guns falling into wrong
hands. In that same period, the Commission
adopted proposals to step up the fight against ter-
rorism and organised crime, by revising the exist-
ing Framework Decision on Terrorism. More than
3 months later, the proposal is still on the table
and negotiations are going slowly” he warns. And
continues by saying that: “But also for the tools
we have, Member States must use them better.
For example, an agreement was reached on our
proposal for an EU Passenger Name Record at
the end of last year, but things need to be
finalised soon. The European Parliament should
vote at the earliest possible moment and Member
States must not delay implementation.”
Proposals and questions
The European Commissioner admits that nation-
al security is a responsibility of the member
states, albeit the threat of terrorism is common.
The Commission has taken several initiatives in
order to support member states. But “sometimes
I fear that there is a lack of political will, lack of
trust and coordination. These horrendous attacks
cannot continue to be wake-up calls forever. We
owe this to our citizens – all of them.” So what
needs to be done now to prevent as much as pos-
sible this type of events from happening again?
Mr. Avramopoulos points at two essential ele-
ments and raises many questions: “First, improve
on our exchange of information, and second, put
