Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 8 June 2016 - Strasbourg

21. Improving data sharing and the use of European information systems and databases in the fight against serious transnational crime and terrorism (debate)

  Elnök asszony. – A következő pont a Tanács és a Bizottság nyilatkozatai az adatcsere és az európai információs rendszerek és adatbázisok súlyos nemzetközi bűncselekmények és a terrorizmus elleni küzdelemben való használatának javításáról (2016/2760(RSP)).

  Bert Koenders, President-in-Office of the Council. – Madam President, we are appalled by the horrific terrorist acts which we recently faced and which we strongly condemn. We stand determined in our common fight against terrorism. This is an attack on our open democratic society. This is what we stated on 24 March, two days after the Brussels attacks, at an extraordinary meeting of the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs. Here, Ministers underlined the urgent need to increase the systematic feeding and consistent use of our different databases and their interoperability.

Improving the information exchange and the interoperability of the European Union’s information systems has been a key topic for our Presidency and was cemented in the joint statement on 24 March. Besides the enormous importance of collecting information, it is of equal importance to connect the dots – that is often forgotten – and to make the best use of the information we have.

This is why the Presidency has taken up the initiative of developing a roadmap on information exchange and information management, which will be submitted to the Council this Friday. This roadmap provides a coherent framework for a more integrated European Union information architecture in the justice and home affairs area. It lists a number of key challenges in information exchange, as well as principles and guidelines to be followed. The first of these principles is, of course, full respect for fundamental rights and data protection rules, which are the core values of our citizens. The roadmap contains practical, short and medium-term points with which action can be undertaken quickly, as well as long-term orientations to enhance information management and information exchange in three domains: first, law enforcement, including judicial cooperation in criminal matters; second, detection of persons involved in terrorism and terrorism-related activity and their travel movements; and, third, border management and migration. The essence of the roadmap is to make sure that the practitioners have access to the information they need. I think this is a very important point.

The politics of all this is in its practical operationality – I mean the police officer in an urban neighbourhood, the border guard at a checkpoint or the immigration officer dealing with a visa application. They have to connect the dots; they have to understand what kind of information they get, how they can get it, where they can get it and how it is in real time. They can do their work best when they have access to high-quality systems with high-quality information that can facilitate their task.

We are very well aware of the fact that this is only one part of the process. An equally important part relates to the communication on stronger and smarter IT systems that the Commission presented on 6 April. The High-Level Expert Group which the Commission announced in this communication will play an important role in developing a more long-term view for the future of the information systems and databases of the European Union.

The Presidency attaches the highest importance to working closely with the European Parliament on these issues. Your role as co-legislator will be crucial when addressing some of the challenges lying ahead, particularly, of course, when legislative changes are required to achieve our common objective.

I can also inform you that the Council, at its meeting on 10 June will again address the Member States’ feeding and use of the databases, such as the SIS, VIS, Europol and Interpol databases, on the basis of a report by the counter-terrorism coordinator. We have to feed and use the information systems to the maximum extent since this is a condition sine qua non for an efficient sharing of information.

There has been very substantial progress over the past year and we will continue to strive for further improvement as soon as possible. In this way, we will be able to continuously improve our information exchange. The quality of information is as important as the quantity. The information that we store, share and use is information about citizens, so it needs to be protected. Citizens have to be confident that this information is used and shared on the basis of proportionality and only for well-described limited purposes. We need to protect our societies but we need to do so without becoming Big Brother. That is the big challenge. In fighting terrorism, we need to uphold our values. Otherwise, the very society that we aim to protect will suffer as a result.

  Dimitris Avramopoulos, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, ‘strength is in unity’, according to the famous ancient quote. Here is what we needed to look for in the Union, in our Union. The unity of the Union. Unity for our security. This is the crucial challenge facing all of us, because our most important duty is to ensure the security of our citizens.

In today’s security environment, strength equals information and knowledge. In fact, the capacity to both share and make smart use of information. Information sharing is our only effective weapon against asymmetric and unpredictable threats, and limiting information in our national boxes does not provide security. It is exactly the opposite.

The recent tragic events in Brussels and Paris showed again Europe’s major weakness in fighting terrorism. First among them: our information sharing. I am sure you will agree on that. The architecture of our systems for borders and security needs to improve. Sharing information is the strongest example of trust between us. It is not about reinventing the wheel, either. Plenty of tools to exchange information effectively are already in place.

Let me give you an example. The Prüm framework. This is potentially a powerful tool against crime, because it automatically compares DNA, fingerprints and vehicle data. But Prüm is only as useful as the amount of information we put in it. It is only as helpful as the number of Member States connected to it. Implementation in practice remains poor. We are using our powers under the Treaties to get better results, but we all need to understand the importance of implementing what we agree, without going to the courts. That is why we presented our vision on Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security already in April, because we saw these problems and we saw the need to bring change, both practically and structurally.

First, it is clear that some systems do not work as well as they should. The Schengen Information System contains only names, not fingerprints. Persons with fraudulent documents can go through it quite easily. A fingerprint functionality will be developed urgently in the coming months.

Second, there are information gaps which are not covered by any system. We have third-country nationals who do not need visas. When not traveling by air, there is no information about them before they arrive. An EU travel information and authorisation system will be proposed to close this gap.

Third, our information landscape is complex and fragmented. Border guards and police officers cannot consult multiple EU systems at the same time. Not all Member States are connected to all systems. Information is stored separately in various unconnected systems. This fragmentation makes us vulnerable.

To be useful, our data systems must be interoperable and interconnected. The Entry/Exit System we proposed in April is interconnected and interoperable with the Visa Information System. What we want for the future is to have a common repository of data for different information systems, which will contain all the basic data.

Other, more thematic systems, such as the Visa Information System, would be connected to it, with all necessary safeguards for the protection of personal data. All this is not to say that information sharing should improve at the expense of fundamental rights: freedom and security are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have freedom without security.

We are now in the final stages of establishing an expert group to look at different options on interoperability. The group will meet this month for the first time, and we will work to give us policy input for decisions next year. We have already invited the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) to work with the experts in this process. Our expert group will work in coordination with the interoperability roadmap of the Council.

Let me close by saying that it will be our clear priority in the next 12 months. We will continue to put emphasis on implementation and where there are structural information gaps, we will address them decisively, and with a clear vision to improve the security of our citizens.

  Monika Hohlmeier, im Namen der PPE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Minister, lieber Herr Kommissar! Zunächst einmal vielen herzlichen Dank für diese Aussprache. Ich halte es für wesentlich, dass wir das Thema Informationsaustausch stärker auf die Tagesordnung nehmen, denn es gibt verschiedene Defizite. Auf der einen Seite gibt es Defizite auf Seiten der Mitgliedstaaten, wenn es darum geht, dass ein effektiver Datenaustausch durchgeführt wird und die Maßnahmen im gegenseitigen Vertrauen dazu führen, dass tatsächlich die relevanten Daten zusammengeführt werden. Dabei glaube ich auch, dass man verstärkt die Kapazitäten von Europol ausbauen muss, um bei der Zusammenführung von Informationen und deren Analyse dann geschlossen zu handeln und geschlossen vorgehen zu können. Die Qualität von Information spielt im Besonderen eine große Rolle.

Aber es gibt auch eine Aufgabe auf Seiten unseres Hauses, die von Mitgliedstaaten an uns herangetragen wird, nämlich die, dass Strafverfolgungsbehörden Zugang haben müssen zu EURODAC und dass umgekehrt Frontex und Grenzbehörden Zugang haben müssen zu SIS und zu der Gefährderdatei, damit wir Terroristen, die den Migrationsstrom nutzen oder missbrauchen, entsprechend frühzeitig identifizieren können. Darüber hinaus bitte ich die Kollegen, bei ECRIS zu bedenken, dass Fingerabdrücke die Möglichkeiten schaffen, tatsächlich zu identifizieren, und wenn es nicht die Möglichkeit gibt, die Fingerabdrücke festzustellen, dann bedeutet das, dass man im Austausch erheblich behindert ist und große Schwierigkeiten hat.

Ich bitte auch, dass wir das entry/exit system im Austausch von Informationen nutzen und es entsprechend möglichst rasch einführen, damit das Vertrauen der Menschen in die Sicherheit unserer Außengrenzen deutlich steigt.

  Elnök asszony. – Tájékoztatom Önöket, hogy az ülés felfüggesztése miatt most „kékkártyás” kérdéseknek nem tudok helyt adni, viszont szeretnék mindenkinek a „catch the eye” eljárásban szót adni.

  Tanja Fajon, v imenu skupine S&D. – Evropa je celina migracij, od nekdaj. Podobno smo se v Evropi od nekdaj soočali s terorističnimi grožnjami. Več desetletij smo živeli s terorizmom v Španiji, na Irskem, drugod. V zadnjem času grožnje prihajajo tudi od zunaj. A prvi fenomen ni posledica drugega in obratno, kar želijo številni radi prepričati.

Tudi zato me skrbi ta načrt Komisije o prihodnosti informacijskih sistemov, ki ga je ta predstavila pravzaprav skupaj s predlogom pametnih meja. Novih groženj in izzivov se želi Komisija lotiti z združevanjem baz podatkov in gradnji nekakšnega „velikega-brata“.

Število potnikov se bo v prihodnosti močno povečalo. Verjetno tudi število groženj. Tehnologija bo napredovala, kriminalci pa bodo verjetno korak pred njo. Proti nevarnostim se je seveda treba boriti, morebitne grožnje pa moramo znati identificirati in preprečiti. A tega ne bomo dosegli z vzpostavljanjem novih super baz podatkov.

Najprej je treba temeljito oceniti že obstoječe sisteme in morebitne pomanjkljivosti odpraviti. Predvsem pa je treba izboljšati njihovo uporabo. Širjenje že znanih informacij močno peša. Tega so nas izučili tudi nedavni teroristični napadi v Parizu, v Bruslju. V Parlamentu smo večkrat pozvali, da je nujna predvsem izmenjava informacij.

Nikakor ne nasprotujem novim učinkovitim rešitvam na področju informacijske tehnologije. A samo ob zaščiti osebnih podatkov.

Osumljenca kriminalnega dejanja in običajnega turista moramo obravnavati zelo različno, prav tako njune osebne podatke. Naš namen ni onemogočiti delo pravosodnim in varnostnim organom, a nikakor ne moremo pristati na povsem neomejen in sistematičen dostop do osebnih podatkov vseh.

Naša skupna prihodnost je odvisna tudi od današnje razprave in odgovorni bomo prav vsi, kako daleč bomo posegli v zasebnost Evropejcev.

  Helga Stevens, namens de ECR-Fractie. – Het delen van informatie is vitaal voor de bewaking van onze buitengrenzen, voor de integriteit van het Schengengebied en zodoende ook voor het waarborgen van onze veiligheid. Wij moeten beletten dat aanslagen Europa blijven teisteren. Wij moeten beletten dat overheden geen andere keuze hebben dan hun grenzen te sluiten, als enige manier om criminelen buiten Europa te houden. Wij moeten beletten dat de burger alle vertrouwen verliest.

Daarom dient er in deze materie daadkrachtig te worden opgetreden. Een wijziging in mentaliteit op het niveau van de lidstaten is daarbij vereist. Ja, veiligheid is hun bevoegdheid, maar informatie moet uitgewisseld worden. Niet in bulk, want dan wordt het voor de politiediensten ook maar zoeken naar een naald in een hooiberg. Maar concrete hits moeten effectief tussen gelijkgezinde inlichtingendiensten worden gedeeld. We moeten daarbij bestaande databanken zoals het SIS-systeem, waarmee personen en goederen als op te sporen kunnen worden gesignaleerd, optimaal benutten. Ook Europol, het EU-agentschap waarbinnen sinds kort een gespecialiseerde cel antiterrorisme actief is, moet daarbij centraal staan. België is één van de beste leerlingen van de klas wat dat betreft, maar andere lidstaten zijn minder vlijtig.

Daarnaast verwelkom ik de verschillende nieuwe initiatieven. Het ECRIS-initiatief bijvoorbeeld, waarbij momenteel gewerkt wordt aan een databank van veroordeelde buitenlanders. Ik kan ook verwijzen naar de hervorming van Europol waarbij de cel Internet in de reguliere werking werd geïntegreerd. Die cel probeert samen met private ICT-partners online jihadistische content op te sporen en te verwijderen. Ook in het kader van de oprichting van de Europese grens- en kustwacht besteden we nu bijzondere aandacht aan de toegang tot databases. Zonder snelle toegang tot actuele en nauwkeurige informatie zullen we altijd achterop hinken. En daarvan maken de terroristen maar al te graag gebruik. Europa kan inderdaad gericht meerwaarde bieden op dit vlak en mag die kans niet laten voorbijgaan.

  Sophia in ‘t Veld, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Madam President, when I saw the title of today’s debate I was really optimistic. I thought this is wonderful; finally we are going to talk about something that we have been calling for a long time: data sharing. This is long overdue because there have been so many examples of terrorist attacks where we found out after the attacks that the information was available, but it had not been shared.

But if I look more closely at what is on the table today, I am actually very disappointed because I get the impression that this is not about more information sharing, this is about collecting more personal data. There is a big difference between mandatory information sharing of vital information and leaving it to the Member States’ discretion whether or not they will share information.

We can have a communication about interoperability, but that is the technical side of things. If the political will is still not there to share vital information, not between two friendly EU Member States, but throughout the European Union, then we are not making any progress here, and then this is all just technical. I get the feeling that the political will is still not there.

Then, I also wonder what are we actually talking about? I am very curious what will be in this roadmap and it would have been very practical for this debate if we had had the text of the roadmap beforehand. Now maybe I have overlooked it, but it would have been very good to have the text beforehand, because now we do not know what we are actually talking about it. Is this about connecting databases? Is this about collecting more data? Is it only about travel data as some people seem to assume? Why not? Other police information that is probably more useful actually for fighting terrorism? Who is going to provide oversight, not only on the data protection issues, but also in terms of effectiveness?

So actually I have lost my optimism on seeing the title. I am a bit more sceptical after this debate, but maybe when I see the road map, which apparently will be adopted on Friday, I will be optimistic again.

  Marina Albiol Guzmán, en nombre del Grupo GUE/NGL. – Señora Presidenta, ayer se hizo público que ocho familiares del rey Juan Carlos utilizaron sociedades pantalla y cuentas en paraísos fiscales para repartirse la herencia millonaria de María Cristina de Borbón. Ya conocemos los casos de la familia del comisario Cañete o del expresidente el Fondo Monetario Internacional, el señor Rato. Estos son ejemplos de delitos transfronterizos, de evasión de impuestos. Cuentas en Suiza, empresas offshore en Panamá, o sociedades en las Islas Vírgenes. Estos son los patriotas españoles que se llevan el dinero a paraísos fiscales, que vacían las arcas públicas para seguir llenando sus bolsillos.

No pueden presentar aquí una propuesta de medidas contra delitos transfronterizos pensando en recortarnos libertades y en blindar fronteras cuando buena parte de los delincuentes ya están dentro —hasta en La Zarzuela se han metido—.

Medidas contra los delitos transfronterizos también es acabar con los paraísos fiscales o con el secreto bancario, pero ya sé que esto a algunos no les interesa y otros directamente son cómplices.

  Eva Joly, au nom du groupe Verts/ALE. – Madame la Présidente, l'amélioration de l'échange des données est un élément essentiel afin de mieux lutter contre le terrorisme.

La dimension transnationale des crimes les plus graves nécessite une plus grande coopération dans ce domaine et une utilisation plus efficace des bases de données européennes, tout en veillant au respect des droits fondamentaux, en particulier en matière de protection des données.

À cet égard, le principe de limitation de la finalité est très important: une base de données qui est utilisée pour un objectif spécifique ne doit pas être soudainement utilisée à d'autres fins. À titre d'exemple, le système d'information Schengen contient des données sur des personnes innocentes, telles que les personnes disparues, qui ne devraient pas être interconnectées avec des bases de données liées au terrorisme, puisqu'aucun lien n'existe entre les deux.

Si l'on prend la direction d'une plus grande interopérabilité des bases de données européennes, il est indispensable de prévoir également un cadre harmonisé en matière de protection des données. Les deux sont et doivent être liés. Cela est nécessaire pour éviter la fragmentation, car la nouvelle directive sur la protection des données dans le domaine de la police ne couvre pas les bases de données dont il est question ici, telles que le système d'information Schengen.

La mise en place d'un ensemble commun de règles en matière de protection des données doit donc faire partie intégrante de ce chemin vers davantage d'interopérabilité. Il en va de la cohérence et de l'efficacité de notre système, il en va, surtout, de la protection de nos droits fondamentaux.

  Jonathan Arnott, on behalf of the EFDD Group. –Thank you very much, Madam President. Of course, in the United Kingdom, a lot of the debate on the European Union at the moment – as you know, we have a referendum coming up on June – is focussing on matters of security. We are being told by the Remain campaign that somehow Britain would not be secure if we were to leave the European Union. Of course we get most of our information on international terrorism in the UK from the Five Eyes Alliance, which doesn’t require political union or the handing—over of sovereignty. We also participate in Interpol, which has 190 members and was established long before Europol, just adding to the fact that NATO has kept the peace in Europe since 1945. They also lead on counter—terrorism and have a centre of excellence, focusing on cyber—crime, in Estonia.

But having said all of that, of course, we in the UK want to continue to work together with our neighbours and friends across Europe. This is not a debate about Brexit in the UK or to say that the UK wants to be some kind of ‘little England’ separated from the continent; rather we want to be a United Kingdom that takes its place in the wider world, but continues to be good friends and good neighbours with Europe. So of course a post—Brexit UK would continue to want to be good friends and good neighbours with Europe and to share data, perhaps, in the right way.

However, in terms of this report, as we are seeing today, there will be questions about what data will be collected on citizens. There will be questions to be asked, I am sure, at a later date.

  Mario Borghezio, a nome del gruppo ENF. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signor Commissario, è soprattutto l'assenza di controlli alle frontiere. Se non ci crede chieda all'Austria, che non a caso sta blindando il confine del Brennero. Questo database comune non funziona perché non può funzionare, è un database praticamente vuoto. Nessuno Stato manda i dati, per gli Stati è impossibile dare un contenuto a questi database in assenza di un controllo efficace per esempio sulle comunità di islamisti in generale, sui clandestini che continuano ad affluire, anche adesso a Lampedusa attraverso le coste italiane, senza alcun efficace controllo, come sono entrati a decine, forse centinaia di migliaia solo negli ultimi anni.

Dal 2014 i foreign fighters da Iraq e Siria sono più che raddoppiati. Attualmente si calcola che siano circa 6 000, di cui due terzi sono rientrati in Europa, ma solo il 60% è stato segnalato a Europol. Questi sono dati vostri, non sono dati miei. Il calcolo è fatto tra l'altro sulla base di soli cinque paesi. Le banche dati non funzionano se le frontiere esterne, oltre a quelle interne, sono un colabrodo e sono un colabrodo: li andiamo a prendere i clandestini, non li possiamo controllare, non li controlliamo, non vogliamo controllarli. Cosa serve alle nostre autorità sapere se Mohammed o Abdul sono foreign fighters se poi possono liberamente entrare e uscire dai confini. Gli attentatori dei recenti attentati sono risultati in parte già individuati e segnalati, ma non sottoposti a misure, liberi di circolare come uccellini di bosco, di riandare e partire da Bruxelles e di andare a Parigi a ritornare, sono uccellini di bosco, fanno quello che vogliono.

  Λάμπρος Φουντούλης ( NI). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, από τη στιγμή που η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση αλλά και τρίτες χώρες λειτουργούν ως ενιαίος χώρος ελεύθερης διακίνησης προσώπων, είναι λογικό οι κάθε λογής παράνομοι και εγκληματίες, από τρομοκράτες μέχρι διακινητές όπλων και ναρκωτικών, να εκμεταλλεύονται τις δομικές αδυναμίες της Συνθήκης Σένγκεν προς όφελος των δραστηριοτήτων τους. Επιπρόσθετα, η προβληματική συνεργασία μεταξύ των αστυνομικών αρχών στις διάφορες χώρες της Ευρώπης δημιουργεί ακόμα περισσότερα κενά και ευκαιρίες για όλους όσους έχουν τέτοιους σκοπούς. Η ανταλλαγή πληροφοριών και δεδομένων κάτω από συγκεκριμένες προϋποθέσεις θα μπορούσε να βελτιώσει κάπως την κατάσταση αλλά υπάρχουν δυστυχώς και εδώ πολλά ερωτηματικά και αρνητικές πλευρές. Αρχικά από μόνη της η ανταλλαγή δεδομένων δεν λύνει το πρόβλημα, μιας και πάλι μένουν άλυτα τα προβλήματα αρμοδιοτήτων και δικαιοδοσίας των υπηρεσιών, το διαφορετικό νομικό πλαίσιο κάθε χώρας και η αδυναμία συντονισμού και αξιοποίησης των πληροφοριών σε πανευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο.

Ακόμα όμως κι αν προχωρούσαμε στην ίδρυση ενός ενιαίου ευρωπαϊκού αστυνομικού σώματος, ίσως μακροπρόθεσμα να δημιουργούσαμε περισσότερα προβλήματα από όσα θα λύναμε. Ένα από τα βασικότερα προβλήματα είναι ότι δεν υπάρχει κάποια αξιόπιστη αρχή που να ελέγχει το πώς χρησιμοποιούνται τα δεδομένα και οι πληροφορίες που συλλέγονται. Ποιος θα αναλάβει αυτόν το ρόλο; Ακόμα κι αν αυτό τον ρόλο τον αναλάμβανε η Επιτροπή, στην πραγματικότητα δεν έχει καμία δημοκρατική νομιμοποίηση για κάτι τέτοιο. Πρόσφατα περιστατικά μάς έχουν αποδείξει πως ακόμα και οι κρατικές αρχές είναι πρόθυμες να διαθέσουν τις πληροφορίες που συλλέγουν σε τρίτους ή να χρησιμοποιήσουν τα δεδομένα αυτά για πολιτικές διώξεις ιδεολογικών τους αντιπάλων. Η μόνη λογική επιλογή αυτή τη στιγμή θα ήταν η επαναφορά των συνοριακών ελέγχων από τα κράτη μέλη, μέχρι τουλάχιστον να βρεθεί μια πειστική απάντηση στα εν λόγω προβλήματα.

  Roberta Metsola (PPE). – Fl-aħħar xhur, ilkoll kemm aħna għaddejna minn żminijiet diffiċli b'riżultat tal-attakki terroristiċi fl-Ewropa. Iċ-ċittadini Ewropej irrispondew quddiem dawn l-attakki b'determinazzjoni biex ikomplu jgħixu l-ħajja b'mod normali. Irridu nibqgħu viġilanti.

Il-ħajja tkompli imma t-theddida ta' aktar attakki tibqa' magħna u allura rridu lkoll kemm aħna nagħmlu l-almu tagħna biex inaqqsu l-possibilitajiet ta' attakki simili u ġodda. L-aġenziji responsabbli mill-infurzar tal-liġijiet jeħtieġ li jkollhom il-mezzi kollha li għandhom bżonn biex jirrispondu għal kull theddida li jkun hemm. Ma jistax ikun li dawn ikunu pass lura minn min ikollu pjan li jagħmel attakk terrorista. Waħda mit-tagħlimiet li ħadna b'riżultat tal-attakki terroristiċi f'Pariġi u Brussell hi li l-iskambju tal-informazzjoni bejn l-aġenziji mhux effiċjenti u effikaċi daqs kemm nistennew u hu meħtieġ. Nafu li teżisti ħafna informazzjoni, li qed tinġabar ħafna informazzjoni, imma s-sistemi użati jvarjaw minn pajjiż għall-ieħor u allura tonqos l-effiċjenza. Mhux aċċettabbli li ma jsir xejn u li ma jsirux arranġamenti aħjar.

Jeħtieġ li l-iskambju tal-informazzjoni mingħajr diffikultajiet ta' kompatibilità minn sistemi bħal SIS, VIS, EURODAC, ECRIS isiru realtà. Fl-istess waqt, irridu li l-awtoritajiet responsabbli mill-infurzar tal-liġijiet u l-aġenziji Ewropej ikollhom aċċess għal din l-informazzjoni. Naturalment, irid ikun hemm is-salvagwardji kollha meħtieġa biex ikun hemm protezzjoni tad-data, iżda madankollu ma nistgħux naċċettaw l-istatus quo jew it-tkaxkir tas-saqajn.

Nikkonkludi: irridu nibqgħu fuq quddiem fil-ġlieda kontra t-terroriżmu u b'inizjattivi maħsuba li jsaħħu l-effiċjenza, l-organizzazzjoni u s-sigurtà taċ-ċittadini tagħna.

  Josef Weidenholzer (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin! Die schrecklichen terroristischen Anschläge der letzten Zeit haben uns auch deswegen betroffen gemacht, weil sie unsere Hilflosigkeit offenkundig gemacht haben. Sie haben uns überraschend getroffen, weil wir nicht in der Lage waren, die vorhandenen Informationen entsprechend zu verwerten. Ja, die Informationen waren zumindest vorhanden. Es ist daher richtig, dass wir die Lehren daraus ziehen, um künftig so etwas zu verhindern.

Ich begrüße es, dass sich Rat und Kommission dazu äußern, aber auch nationale Parlamente wie beispielsweise der Deutsche Bundestag, der sich heute zur gleichen Zeit mit dieser Thematik auseinandersetzt. Dabei ist daran gedacht, keine neuen Nachrichtendienste und Ermittlungsbehörden zu schaffen, sondern bestehende Datenbanken zu vernetzen, also interoperabel zu machen. Dagegen ist nichts einzuwenden, ganz im Gegenteil. Man könnte kritisieren, dass das erst jetzt passiert. Aber man darf sich a) dabei nicht die Lösung aller Probleme erwarten, quasi wie bei einer Wundermaschine, und b) Man sollte auch die damit verbundenen Probleme sehen.

Ich sehe drei wesentliche Probleme. Es kann zu ganz neuen Problemen führen, wenn die Anwendung nicht im Einklang mit der Rechtsprechung des EuGH steht, nicht grundrechtskonform ist und nicht den Grundsätzen des Datenschutzes entspricht. So wie wir in Europol den Datenschutzbeauftragten eine Schlüsselrolle gegeben haben, so muss das auch hier für die Verknüpfung dieser Datenbanken gelten.

Zweitens: Wir sollten auch überlegen, ob es nicht bereits Instrumente gibt, die – aus welchen Gründen auch immer – nicht angewendet werden, wie der Beschluss des Justizinnenministers 2005 zum verpflichtenden Austausch von Informationen bei terroristischen Straftaten. Es braucht also, bevor wir etwas Neues machen, eine Inventur bereits bestehender Instrumente, und wir müssen uns fragen, warum wird das nicht angewendet. Dafür muss es ja Gründe geben, und das sollte in unsere Analysen auch mit einfließen.

Ich glaube auch, dass es zu wenig ist, sich darauf zu verlassen, dass die bloße Vernetzung von Datenbanken schon das Problem löst. Das ist blauäugig. Es braucht nicht nur Maschinenintelligenz, sondern es braucht auch Personal, es braucht auch humane Intelligenz, und das – scheint mir – ist eines der ganz wichtigen Dinge, dass vor allem auch gemeinsame Ermittlungsgruppen, wie sie im Rahmen von Europol bestehen, ausgebaut werden, um das Problem proaktiv zu lösen.

  Monica Macovei (ECR). – Doamnă președintă, dreptul la viață este pe primul loc. Au murit oameni la Paris, la Bruxelles, la Istanbul. Ce mai așteptăm? Trebuie să le asigurăm securitatea și trebuie să le asigurăm dreptul la viață. În prezent, avem sisteme de informații și baze de date care asigură sau oferă ofițerilor de poliție și de graniță date relevante, de cele mai multe ori privind persoanele care trec frontierele externe. Mă refer la sistemul de informații Schengen, la Europol, la Interpol și la alte sisteme de date. Dar schimbul de informații între statele membre despre care vorbim astăzi și transmiterea de către statele membre a informațiilor în aceste baze de date sunt strâns legate. Dacă statele membre nu transmit toate informațiile relevante în aceste baze de date Schengen, Europol, Interpol, celelalte, atunci schimbul de informații nu mai este eficient, managementul frontierelor nu se poate face și oamenii vor muri în continuare. Nu le vom putea asigura securitatea. Ce rost are să avem aceste instrumente și să nu le folosim?

  Angelika Mlinar (ALDE). – Madam President, I am glad to hear that the Commission decided to stress the importance of data sharing. In fact this should not be an option but a must. However, what is the reality today? A number of databases full of holes. If there is a lesson to be learned from the recent terror attacks then it is the following: data sharing by the police and all other security services must improve. National egos are creating potholes on the information highway and this is not acceptable.

We do not need to go far back in time, since recently a law was passed that did not include systematic mandatory data sharing: that was the PNR file making its way through this House. There is a massive gap between planning and execution, between ambitions and reality. The system can only succeed if individual Member States deliver information. Member States, however, are still not obliged to do so. There is no need for new instruments. It would only challenge our freedom without protecting us. Mandatory data sharing is the only possible way forward.

  Kinga Gál (PPE). – Elnök Asszony, örvendek, hogy Avramopoulus biztos úr kimondta a kulcsmondatot: nincs szabadság biztonság nélkül. Hiszen a párizsi, brüsszeli terrortámadások, az, hogy a merénylők közül többen terrorgyanús személyként már nyilvántartottak voltak Európában, de mégis probléma nélkül tudtak kiutazni az Iszlám Állam kötelékeibe, majd migránsként visszatérni onnan Európába, az információmegosztás hiányosságaira világított rá. Az EU terrorizmus elleni koordinátora szerint jelenleg az képezi a legnagyobb kihívást, hogy a rendelkezésre álló rendszerekbe az adatokat nem töltik föl és azokat nem cserélik ki, tehát az együttműködés az információátadás területén a legfontosabb, az, hogy a tagállamok optimálisabban használják a meglévő európai rendszereket, és fejlesszék ezeket.

Jó kezdeményezés az Európai Terrorellenes Központ felállítása az Europol keretein belül. A magyar Országgyűlés két napja hagyta jóvá a Terrorelhárítási Információs és Bűnügyi Elemző Központ létrehozását, melynek az a feladata, hogy egy átfogó képet állítson össze az ország terrorfenyegetettségéről, vagy más súlyos bűnügyi fenyegetettségről. Lényeges lenne hasonló központok felállítása és szoros együttműködése Európa-szerte.

  Ana Gomes (S&D). – Os ataques de Paris e de Bruxelas demonstram que precisamos de mais Europa para a nossa segurança e provam a interdependência entre a segurança interna e a externa. Combater o terrorismo e outras formas de criminalidade organizada é uma prioridade que nenhum Estado-Membro pode prosseguir sozinho: impõe partilha de capacidades, em especial na "intelligence", na justiça e na polícia, incluindo de fronteira e alfandegária.  Só assim conseguiremos cumprir os objetivos da Agenda para a Segurança.

Hoje temos um quadro legislativo europeu para a proteção de dados que permite uma partilha de dados mais segura entre autoridades policiais e judiciais, um quadro que, impondo respeito pelos direitos fundamentais, incluindo os princípios da finalidade e da proporcionalidade, permite eliminar bloqueios e falhas na arquitetura do controle de gestão de dados e combater a fragmentação, incluindo a sentida na segurança e controlo de fronteiras. Um quadro que cria e regula as condições para agilizar a interoperabilidade entre bases de dados das forças de segurança a nível interno em cada Estado-Membro e no plano europeu. E que impõe que em cada Estado, e em conjunto, se eliminem deficiências nas funcionalidades dos sistemas existentes e, portanto, no alcance e eficácia da interoperabilidade. 

Por outro lado, no mês passado, este Parlamento aprovou um novo regulamento da EUROPOL, que determina o reforço do controlo democrático da cooperação policial, a exercer pelo Parlamento Europeu em associação com os parlamentos nacionais. Queremos ser mais eficazes na luta contra o branqueamento de capitais e o financiamento do terrorismo. O que tem faltado é vontade política por parte dos Estados-Membros para que os seus agentes e serviços se empenhem na utilização dos mecanismos europeus existentes. Agentes e serviços que precisam de ter meios e capacidades reforçados e não continuar a ser asfixiados por constrangimentos orçamentais.

 

Os ataques terroristas de Paris e Bruxelas demonstram como pagamos caro, em vidas, a fragmentação, a desconfiança e a desunião. Para termos mais Europa na segurança e defesa dos cidadãos, incluindo na defesa das liberdades fundamentais, precisamos de nos livrar das políticas neoliberais que, fomentando desemprego, exclusão social e discriminação, alimentam o ressentimento de tantos jovens europeus que se juntam às fileiras do Daesh, muitos radicalizando-se sozinhos online.

  James Nicholson (ECR). – Madam President, I have always said that we must use every tool available in the fight against terror and serious organised crime. It is vital that we make it easier to enable information-sharing and cooperation to take place between national governments.

Terrorism, of course, knows no borders: it is extremely important that there is as much transnational cooperation as possible, particularly in terms of data sharing. We have come a long way in cross-border cooperation, so let us not slow down or stop now.

I welcome the recent vote in the Parliament on Passenger Name Record (PNR). The recent phenomenon of so-called foreign fighters returning from the Middle East poses many challenges for our intelligence agencies, and collecting PNR data can be instrumental in detecting and tracking suspicious behaviour of radicalised individuals.

In terms of transnational cooperation in the fight against terror we should also note that the European Arrest Warrant has played an instrumental role in tackling dissident Republican terrorism and serious organised crime in my own constituency of Northern Ireland and the border with the Republic of Ireland.

I notice that the Commissioner in his address spoke of gaps. Today, Commissioner – and to the Council – you cannot afford to have any gaps in border security. You must have better border control. Schengen has proved not to be effective. Commissioner, it is extremely wise not to leave your back door wide open.

  Филиз Хюсменова (ALDE). – Събитията от последните няколко месеца ясно ни показаха, че своевременното споделяне на информация между службите на държавите членки и между тях и Европол е от жизнена необходимост. Съществуват множество европейски бази данни – ШИС, базата данни на Европол, системата на пътническите данни, обсъжда се въвеждането на база данни във връзка с пакета „Интелигентни граници“.

Само събирането на информация обаче, колкото и ценна да е тя, не би могло да ни помогне в борбата срещу тероризма и организираната престъпност, ако тя не бъде споделяна своевременно и напълно между всички национални системи за сигурност. Считам, че в условията на систематична заплаха е изключително важно държавите членки да започнат да си сътрудничат пълноценно и да въведат автоматизиран обмен на данни между своите системи и Европол, защото само наднационалната споделеност може да противостои на съвременните трансгранични престъпни мрежи.

  Axel Voss (PPE). – Frau Präsidentin! Die Sicherheitslage hat sich in den letzten Jahren in der EU extrem verschlechtert, und mit den Flüchtlingen kommen nun mal auch viele radikalisierte religiöse Extremisten. Diese permanente Bedrohung bringt die innere Sicherheit der EU aus dem Gleichgewicht. Terrorbekämpfung muss deshalb auch eine Priorität sein. Diese extreme Bedrohung zwingt uns nun auch dazu, über Kompetenzen und Formen der Zusammenarbeit nachzudenken. Datenanalysen bieten hier Lösungen, ohne immer gleich den Abbau von Grundrechten durch den bösen Staat zu beschwören.

Aber Datenschutz darf und kann nicht über dem Lebensschutz der Bürger stehen. Nun muss es deshalb darum gehen, die bestehenden Instrumente vertikal und horizontal miteinander zu verbinden. Wir brauchen meines Erachtens erstens eine zentrale Schnittstelle, die die gleichzeitige Abfrage mehrerer Informationssysteme ermöglicht. Dabei müssten zweitens die in einem System erfassten Daten automatisch auch von anderen Systemen abgefragt werden können. Drittens brauchen wir hier auch die Einrichtung eines gemeinsamen Dienstes für den Abgleich von biometrischen Daten. Viertens sollten wir klären, ob nicht durch eine gemeinsame Datenbank Mehrfacherhebungen und Mehrfachspeicherungen eigentlich reduziert würden, was somit dem Prinzip der Datensparsamkeit entspräche. Fünftens muss die Qualität vor der Quantität der Daten stehen, und sechstens sollte Europol als bessere Plattform zum Austausch noch genutzt und ausgebaut werden.

  Caterina Chinnici (S&D). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signor Ministro, signor Commissario, gli attentati terroristici di Parigi e di Bruxelles di pochi mesi fa hanno messo ancor più in evidenza, qualora ce ne fosse stato bisogno, l'urgente necessità di un'azione coordinata a livello europeo, senza la quale difficilmente si potrà contrastare in modo efficace il terrorismo, il terrorismo internazionale, un fenomeno che supera i confini del singolo Stato membro, così come avviene per la criminalità organizzata. Anche questo, e si comincia finalmente ad averne consapevolezza, è un fenomeno di criminalità transnazionale talvolta collegato al terrorismo o ai più gravi reati, quali ad esempio la tratta di esseri umani, e per il quale pure soltanto una piena collaborazione transfrontaliera fra le autorità di contrasto potrà rendere efficace la lotta al fenomeno.

Dopo i tragici episodi di terrorismo in Europa una lezione l'abbiamo tristemente imparata: lo scambio di informazioni tra le autorità nazionali non ha funzionato. Abbiamo saputo dopo, infatti, che in alcuni casi i responsabili di questi crimini erano già noti in alcuni Stati membri. Naturalmente non siamo qui oggi né è questa la sede per capire cosa non ha funzionato, ma siamo qui per dare risposte adeguate alla minaccia del terrorismo e dei più gravi reati transfrontalieri. Recentemente quest'Aula approvato il nuovo regolamento Europol e la direttiva PNR, strumento anche questo da utilizzare per la prevenzione e il contrasto al terrorismo internazionale. È apprezzabile in tal senso anche la revisione del sistema ECRIS.

Questi e gli altri strumenti esistenti, tuttavia, non potranno essere realmente efficaci se gli Stati membri non forniranno un'adeguata alimentazione dei database con la volontà di mettere a fattore comune le informazioni, un'esigenza che si sta valutando anche nell'aggiornamento della direttiva per il contrasto al terrorismo.

Importante, infine, sia per una migliore gestione delle frontiere, sia per la sicurezza esterna, la comunicazione della Commissione del 6 aprile scorso per migliorare la interoperabilità dei sistemi informativi. Occorre però, anche in questo caso, il giusto equilibrio fra le informazioni fornite ai fini di sicurezza e l'esigenza fondamentale del rispetto dei diritti e della privacy.

  Kaja Kallas (ALDE). – Madam President, in Europe data is gathered in silence. So why is it important? Because it creates data duplication and lack of interoperability and it simply deters data exchange. We clearly do not lack databases in Europe. The problem is that these databases do not communicate with each other. The answer is certainly not a super database and, even less, creating a database accessible for all. It is about setting a framework that interconnects them, making sure that outgoing data is encrypted and all incoming data is authenticated and logged to create trust, protect privacy and get maximum impact from this data collection.

Member States are already implementing such solutions to deploy digital services: X-road is the Estonian example. I fail to understand why the Commission still has not tried to solve this problem. The real problem is the lack of data-sharing using existing technology and technological solutions that are already in place.

  Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE). – Paní předsedající, pane komisaři, pane ministře, všichni zde víme, že Evropská unie vykazuje značné nedostatky v propojení informačních systémů mezi jednotlivými členskými státy i samotnými orgány Evropské unie.

Mohli jsme se na vlastní oči přesvědčit po útocích v Paříži či v březnu v Bruselu, že informační systém mezi jednotlivými státy a výměna informací není dostatečná. A ačkoliv se Evropská unie a Evropská komise společně se členskými státy snažily provést řadu kroků ke zlepšení situace, v praxi toto sdílení informací stále nefunguje. Především pokud jde o sledování vyšetřování zahraničních bojovníků nebo obchodování s nedovolenými střelnými zbraněmi či financování terorismu. To jsou, podle mého názoru, zásadní údaje, se kterými musíme být nejen schopni rychle, ale i bezpečně nakládat, ale také je efektivně používat v boji proti terorismu.

Jak můžeme nadále chránit evropské občany, když nejsme schopni zabezpečit základní věc, a to je výměna informací v rámci států Evropské unie? Osobně si myslím, že Evropské centrum pro boj proti terorismu hraje v této problematice zásadní roli, a pevně věřím, že bude zřízeno.

  Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin! Grenzüberschreitende Kriminalität und Terrorismus lassen sich längst nicht mehr nur national bekämpfen. Ja, wir benötigen eine europaweite Kooperation von Staaten, Behörden und Institutionen. Nun, das ist aber – weiß Gott – keine neue Erkenntnis, das ist mittlerweile eine Binsenwahrheit. Und nach den jüngsten tragischen Terroranschlägen wurde es überall und immer wieder wiederholt und erklärt. Doch wie ist die Realität?

Ich will Ihnen ein Beispiel nennen: In der 2015 veröffentlichten Evaluierung von Eurojust, der Europäischen Stelle für justizielle Zusammenarbeit, heißt es auf Seite 30, ich zitiere: Die langsame oder unvollständige Umsetzung des Ratsbeschlusses von 2008 auf nationaler Ebene hatte deutliche Auswirkungen auf Eurojust. Die allgemeine Wirksamkeit der vorgesehenen Maßnahmen des Ratsbeschlusses wurden somit beschränkt vor allem in Bezug auf einen erweiterten Informationsaustausch zwischen Eurojust und den nationalen Behörden.

Ja, Herr Kommissar, Herr Minister, diese Situation ist inakzeptabel. Die Mitgliedstaaten müssen endlich ihre eigenen Beschlüsse ernst nehmen und bereits geltendes europäisches Recht anwenden! Hierfür bedarf es weder Sondergipfel der Innenminister noch neuer Gesetzesvorschläge der Kommission. Hierfür bedarf es schlicht und einfach des Willens, das, was der europäische Gesetzgeber längst beschlossen hat, auch umzusetzen. Würden wir das tun, dann wären wir eindeutig schon einen entscheidenden Schritt weiter.

  Milan Zver (PPE). – Danes ponovno ugotavljamo, da izmenjava ustreznih podatkov med pristojnimi varnostnimi akterji veča varnost vseh državljanov. Ta korelacija je že zdavnaj dokazana. Na žalost tudi v praksi, na primer pri zadnjih terorističnih napadih v Evropi.

Zato nas čudi, da je o tem, da se organom pregona omogoči dostop do določenih podatkov posameznikov, tako težko doseči politični kompromis. Sprašujem se, v kakšni varnostni situaciji bi šele živeli, če ne bi Evropska ljudska stranka leta in leta potiskala to vprašanje visoko na agendo evropske varnostne politike.

Evropska ljudska stranka je tudi nedavno pripravila deset priporočil za boj proti terorizmu, med katerimi je tudi poziv za izboljšano zbiranje, obdelavo in izmenjavo informacij iz kriminalnih dosjejev med državami članicami, med organi pregona, med agencijami (Europol, Frontex, Eurojust itn.) in med sistemi, ki morajo postati med seboj kompatibilni.

Zato pozivamo Komisijo, da nemudoma predstavi sistemske rešitve za ta pereči problem, ki ohranja šibko varnostno situacijo v Evropi. V učinkovitem boju proti terorizmu moramo izboljšati sodelovanje tudi s tretjimi državami, pa ne samo z ZDA in Kanado, ampak tudi s Turčijo, državami Severne Afrike in Bližnjega vzhoda.

Boljša komunikacija bo izboljšala tudi učinkovitost boja proti trgovanju z ilegalnim orožjem, radikalizaciji na internetu in v zaporih ter financiranju terorizma. Izboljšala se bo tudi obravnava tako imenovanih tujih borcev ter varovanje zunanjih meja.

  Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D). – Señora Presidenta, Comisario, intervengo subrayando lo que he afirmado cada vez que se ha producido un debate en este Parlamento Europeo con respecto de la necesidad de medidas de refuerzo del intercambio de información en la lucha contra el terrorismo, porque es una crítica a los veintiocho Estados miembros y a la ausencia de una puesta en común de la inteligencia disponible para combatir el terrorismo, es decir, del análisis y la interpretación de la información relevante para combatir el terrorismo, que hubiera servido, por cierto, para evitar las masacres a las que hemos asistido en París o en Zaventem recientemente. Por eso, tan importante como las medidas que ponga en marcha la Comisión es la exigencia de voluntad política a los Estados miembros para compartir esa información y hacerlo a través de los instrumentos de que ya disponemos: Europol, el centro europeo contra el terrorismo. Y también, por qué no, la voluntad de hacer de esa base de la que ahora disponemos el embrión de un FBI europeo que sea efectivo contra el terrorismo. Y que se haga, además, con respeto de los derechos fundamentales, de los principios de necesidad y de proporcionalidad y del Reglamento europeo de protección de datos, porque ese es el acervo europeo.

  Емил Радев (PPE). – Актуалните предизвикателства пред европейската сигурност – миграция, тероризъм, организирана престъпност и трафик на хора, са взаимосвързани заплахи, които изискват всеобхватен подход и координиран отговор на европейско и национално ниво. Обменът на информация в рамките на Европейския съюз е важен компонент от този нов подход, като за целта, вярвам, е нужна техническа взаимосвързаност на европейските информационни системи в сферата на сигурността и вътрешния ред.

Тук бих искал да приветствам предложението на Европейската комисия да проучи възможностите за подобряване и свързване на системите за управление на границите и използваните от службите за сигурност. 

На мнение съм, че подобряването на системите има три основни аспекта.

На първо място, колкото се може по-бързо трябва да се гарантира техническата съвместимост между отделните системи. Това ще позволи вместо да се събира по няколко пъти информация за един и същи човек, която да се вкарва в отделни системи, събирането на данни да бъде еднократно и да бъде достъпно в зависимост от нуждите на отделните служби в различните държави членки.

Също така призовавам Европейската комисия бързо да излезе със законодателни предложения, които да създадат правна основа за обмена на данни и свързаността на системите. Още по-важно, призовавам всички членове на Европейския парламент да загърбят политическите различия и да подкрепят тези предложения в името на сигурността на европейските граждани.

Не на последно място, не трябва да се пренебрегва необходимостта от защита на личните данни, независимо от вида на информационната архитектура на системите.

  Hugues Bayet (S&D). – Madame la Présidente, Monsieur le Commissaire, c'est évidemment un enjeu crucial pour l'avenir de l'Union: assurer la sécurité de nos citoyens au sein de l'espace européen tout en respectant les libertés fondamentales. Il est donc indispensable, selon moi, que le Parlement soit associé à ces travaux.

On sait que la Commission projette de nouveaux outils intéressants, mais le renseignement restant une compétence nationale, c'est d'abord aux États membres de prendre leurs responsabilités pour alimenter et utiliser les nombreux outils européens existants. Et la Commission doit y veiller.

Je rappelle qu'après chaque attentat, le Conseil réitère cette priorité absolue, mais il ne faut pas uniquement le dire, il faut aussi le faire rapidement et efficacement. Il est de notoriété publique que le Focal Point Travellers, la banque de données essentielle s'il en est pour le signalement des combattants étrangers, est alimentée à 90 % par seulement cinq États membres. Cinq États membres sur ving-huit! De même, il faut permettre à Europol de jouer son rôle de coordination dans ces échanges en lui transmettant les moyens et les informations nécessaires.

À l'heure où nous parlons, je crains, par exemple, que plusieurs États membres n'aient toujours pas envoyé les experts nationaux prévus au sein du nouveau centre européen de lutte contre le terrorisme. L'interconnexion des banques de données et une interface de recherche unique permettraient pourtant de maximiser ces efforts.

Vous avez donc encore du pain sur la planche, Monsieur le Commissaire, et il est peut-être temps de délivrer des bulletins et d'identifier qui met en danger notre sécurité.

„Catch the eye” eljárás

  Teresa Jiménez-Becerril Barrio (PPE). – Señora Presidenta, no hace falta sufrir un atentado para ser consciente de la necesidad de proteger a los ciudadanos. Atentados como los de París o Bruselas han despertado todas las conciencias. Somos muchos los que pensamos que en ese aeropuerto podíamos haber estado nosotros. Por ello, y porque cualquiera puede ser víctima, hay que reforzar la respuesta antiterrorista y hacerlo desde la unidad, esa que tantas veces falta. Para proteger hay que compartir información. Necesitamos confianza entre Estados. Mayor coordinación entre las policías, más inteligencia e investigación. Tenemos que ser más rápidos que los terroristas.

Y hoy, como desde hace siete años, vuelvo a preguntar a la Comisión: ¿para cuándo una Directiva de víctimas del terrorismo? ¿Para cuándo un Reglamento o un Protocolo para que cuando ocurra un atentado se pueda atender a todas las víctimas de muchos países de Europa? A cualquiera nos puede pasar en cualquier país de Europa y necesitamos estar preparados. No tenemos instrumentos para ello.

  Nicola Caputo (S&D). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, il terrorismo non conosce frontiere. Solo uno sforzo congiunto di Unione europea e Stati membri può determinarne un efficace contrasto. L'Unione europea, in particolare, deve fornire gli strumenti necessari per affrontare la natura transfrontaliera della minaccia. Le autorità nazionali andrebbero informate dei movimenti dei terroristi e questi dati andrebbero condivisi con gli Stati membri e con le agenzie dell'Unione europea attraverso il centro europeo antiterrorismo dell'Europol.

Le intelligence degli Stati membri devono favorire lo scambio di informazioni utili, determinando le condizioni per sfruttare in modo ottimale tutte le piattaforme, le banche dati e i sistemi di allerta esistenti a livello europeo, come il sistema di informazione di Schengen e il sistema di informazione anticipata sui passeggeri. Abbiamo anche bisogno di una cooperazione operativa più efficace tra gli Stati membri e i paesi terzi attraverso l'utilizzo degli strumenti esistenti, come le squadre investigative comuni, il programma di controllo delle transazioni finanziarie e il PNR. Azioni comuni e condivisione di banche dati a tutti i livelli, dunque, ma prevedendo appropriate garanzie in materia di protezione dei dati e della vita privata di cittadini.

  Νότης Μαριάς ( ECR). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, η ανταλλαγή δεδομένων και η επεξεργασία τους θα πρέπει να γίνεται με σεβασμό στο θεμελιώδες δικαίωμα του κάθε ατόμου για προστασία των προσωπικών του δεδομένων και της ιδιωτικής του ζωής, όπως η προστασία αυτή καθορίζεται από τις κείμενες διατάξεις και τη νομολογία του Δικαστηρίου της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Επιπλέον, θα πρέπει να υπάρχει σεβασμός στην αρχή της αναλογικότητας, ισορροπία μεταξύ της ασφάλειας και της ελευθερίας, ενώ τα δεδομένα που θα συλλέγονται και θα ανταλλάσσονται θα πρέπει να περιορίζονται στα ελάχιστα αναγκαία για τον σκοπό που υπηρετούν. Ο σκοπός της ανταλλαγής και της επεξεργασίας δεδομένων θα πρέπει να είναι αυστηρά η ανίχνευση, διερεύνηση και δίωξη των αξιόποινων πράξεων και η εκτέλεση δικαστικών αποφάσεων. Για να επιτευχθεί αυτό, θα πρέπει να υπάρχει κατάλληλη συνεργασία στους μηχανισμούς ανταλλαγής δεδομένων μεταξύ των κρατών μελών της Ένωσης. Όμως από τη συζήτηση που μέχρι στιγμής έχει διεξαχθεί τα ερωτήματα που είχαμε λόγω των κενών και της αοριστίας της πρωτοβουλίας πολλαπλασιάστηκαν αντί να απαντηθούν. Αναμένουμε τις επόμενες απαντήσεις από την Επιτροπή και από το Συμβούλιο.

  Elnök asszony. – Képviselőtársaimtól azt szeretném kérni, hogy kicsit beszéljenek lassabban. Folyamatosan ég az a lámpa az asztalomon, ami mutatja, hogy nem tudják a tolmácsok fordítani, olyan gyorsan beszélnek a hozzászólásaikban. Most pedig erre tekintettel Jakovčić képviselő úrnak adok szót, és kérem, hogy úgy beszéljen, hogy jól tolmácsolható legyen.

  Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE). – Gospođo predsjedavajuća, nakon pariških napada i onog napada na Zaventemu glavno pitanje s kojim sam se susretao s građanima u Hrvatskoj i njihovo pitanje, je li moguće da je policija zaustavljala teroriste, zločince, nije ih identificirala i nije ih uhapsila? Je li moguće da nemamo unutar Europske unije kvalitetnu razmjenu pravosudnih, odnosno policijskih podataka?

I s tim povezano pitanje je li moguće i je li potrebno da Hrvatska ulazi u Schengenski prostor u trenutku kada nema tih automatskih razmjena podataka? Naravno, kao čovjek koji zagovara više Europe, i uvijek i svugdje više Europe, jer vjerujem da je to ono što nam treba, pokušao sam objasniti da ono što sada slijedi je stvaranje baza podataka, stvaranje automatske razmjene podataka, uključujući slobodu i privatnost građana, to je smjer kojim idemo i način i razlog zbog kojeg Hrvatska treba i može ući u Schengenski prostor.

  Igor Šoltes (Verts/ALE). – Torej, boj proti kriminalu sicer terja od nas odločne in hitre ukrepe, a ti ne smejo iti na račun neupravičenih posegov v življenje državljank in državljanov ter ukrepov, ki ne dosegajo tako željenih ukrepov.

Varnost in svoboda sta seveda dve plati istega kovanca, ki pa sta na žalost včasih daleč vsaka sebi. Nadzor in zbiranje podatkov, izmenjava podatkov morajo imeti svoje meje in ne moremo podeliti bianco menice za izmenjavo in obdelavo podatkov, ki lahko vodijo tudi v zlorabo moči.

Ravno tanke meje obstajajo med sledenjem in pa obdelavo in pa seveda tudi definicijo tako imenovanih potencialnih osumljencev in tistimi, ki dejansko to so. In zato je potrebno skrbno ravnati s podatki, ki jih zbiramo, in seveda taka pravila ne smejo biti sama sebi namen.

Zato moramo poudariti poseben pomen varuhov in pooblaščencev za nadzor nad varovanjem z osebnimi podatki.

  Γεώργιος Επιτήδειος ( NI). – Κυρία Πρόεδρε, ο συνεχώς αυξανόμενος ρυθμός των τρομοκρατικών επιθέσεων και των δράσεων του οργανωμένου εγκλήματος επιβάλλει την ανάγκη συνεργασίας και ανταλλαγής πληροφοριών μεταξύ όλων των χωρών. Παράλληλα όμως, ισχύει και η αρχή της προστασίας των θεμελιωδών δικαιωμάτων, όπως είναι η προστασία των προσωπικών δεδομένων και ο σεβασμός της ιδιωτικής ζωής ενός ανθρώπου. Είναι αλήθεια ότι τα όρια μεταξύ της επεμβάσεως μιας κρατικής αρχής για λόγους εθνικού συμφέροντος και του σεβασμού των προσωπικών δεδομένων και των δικαιωμάτων του ανθρώπου είναι δυσδιάκριτα. Γι’ αυτό η επέμβαση αυτή πρέπει να γίνεται μόνο όταν είναι απαραίτητη και αναγκαία είτε για να αποτραπεί ένα έγκλημα είτε για να αποφευχθεί μια τρομοκρατική ενέργεια. Παράλληλα, πρέπει να εξετάζεται κατά περίπτωση και το κατά πόσον αυτός ο οποίος είναι ύποπτος για τρομοκρατική ενέργεια είναι πραγματικά ύποπτος. Αυτό θα προκύψει κατόπιν συνεργασίας διακρατικής και κατόπιν αυστηρών ελέγχων που θα γίνονται στα σύνορα κάθε χώρας, όταν κάποιος θέλει να εισέλθει σε αυτήν.

  Jérôme Lavrilleux (PPE). – Madame la Présidente, je vois qu'on enlève dès maintenant les drapeaux britanniques de notre hémicycle, je voudrais savoir si la présidence a eu en avant-première les résultats du référendum sur le Brexit, qui fait qu'on enlève ce symbole de nos collègues du groupe très à droite qui mettent leur drapeau britannique en permanence.

  Elnök asszony. – Nyilván ez egy költői kérdés volt, és nem vár választ. Úgy látom, hogy a termet rendezik. Mi pedig folytassuk ezt a vitát: most a „catch the eye” eljárás után Biztos Úrnak adok szót, Avramopoulos biztos úr következik.

  Sergio Gaetano Cofferati (S&D). – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signor Commissario, come lei ci ha ricordato, l'uso di un sistema di informazioni e di banche dati comune è fondamentale per contrastare il crimine, tutto il crimine però. Si parla molto, come lei ha sentito, di terrorismo, ed è comprensibile. Però non vorrei che questo portasse a un accantonamento, a un ridimensionamento del fenomeno diffusissimo di reati gravi che riguardano la dimensione economica. Allora, bisogna uniformare i dati per renderli confrontabili, bisogna coordinare tutto ciò che si mette a disposizione. Ogni e qualsiasi informazione deve essere misurata e deve essere costruita in un sistema che permette appunto di verificare le condizioni diverse, Stato per Stato. Ci vuole riservatezza, ma vorrei aggiungere che ci vuole anche tempestività. Il tempo è una variabile importantissima: un'azione tempestiva è efficace per più ragioni, compresa quella che ha un effetto di deterrenza nei confronti dei criminali. Ecco perché dobbiamo fare in fretta.

  Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, domnule comisar, domnule ministru, securitatea trebuie să fie o prioritate pentru toată lumea: pentru Consiliu, pentru Comisie, pentru noi, pentru Parlamentul European, pentru toate instituțiile specializate.

Domnul comisar vorbea de unitatea noastră, în Uniunea Europeană, și este adevărat. Tragediile din ultimii doi ani au dovedit că nu a fost suficientă unitate și au arătat slăbiciunea culegerii de date, dar, mai ales, valorificarea informațiilor.

Din declarațiile de azi însă, ale Consiliului și ale Comisiei, nu am înțeles exact care sunt măsurile suplimentare luate pentru securitate. Au găsit Consiliul și Comisia măsuri adecvate pentru creșterea siguranței în Uniunea Europeană? Evident că există și o responsabilitate națională, dar Consiliul este instituția care este formată din miniștrii de specialitate ai statelor membre și deciziile trebuie luate acolo, dar și transpuse.

Suntem întrebați de cetățeni, acasă, ce se întâmplă la Uniunea Europeană? Ce măsuri se iau pentru siguranța lor? Așteptăm aceste răspunsuri, domnule comisar și domnule ministru.

A „catch the eye” eljárás vége.

  Dimitris Avramopoulos, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, I have listened very carefully, as I always do, to your interventions and taken note of your concerns. Ms Hohlmeier, Ms Stevens, I agree with you on Europol. We had the chance, as you remember, to discuss this three weeks ago.

As many of you stressed, Ms Metsola and others, and as I said in my opening remarks: respect for fundamental rights, and in particular, data protection, will be integral to our future information architecture. Beyond this, I am pleased that we see eye-to-eye in terms of what the problem is. Information sharing is key to fighting terrorists. Our information cannot be locked up in silos. It must be interconnected in order to be useful.

We all know more by sharing more. Trust is the basis on which we will build our new approach. We are moving from rhetoric and political statements to concrete actions on improving our information management. Our expert group on interoperability of systems will deliver tangible policy input 12 months from now. Based on this input, we may need to modify our legal instruments, or even propose new ones.

Ms Fajon, Ms in’t Veld, implementation of these existing instruments is our priority. Our expert group, however, will identify possible gaps, and the contribution to it from the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is very important. Our commitment to this priority is a given. Your support and contribution will be key. I really, very much count on it.

Președinte: IOAN MIRCEA PAȘCU
Vicepreședinte

  Bert Koenders, President-in-Office of the Council. – Mr President, let me conclude by first of all stating that we must remain determined in our common fight against terrorism. Therefore information exchange and the feeding of the databases have been a major priority for the Presidency in the Justice and Home Affairs field. As I mentioned in the first round, that is not so easy because you have to do it on the basis of trust, interoperability and also filling the databases in a way that is immediately concrete for the people who work in law enforcement and intelligence agencies, who are in border control, and who are related to crime and therefore often the relationships that we see between crime and terror.

Terrorism is not primarily defeated by bombs and bullets. We know that. It is also the effective and legitimate use of bytes and data that allows us to identify terrorist networks, to detect their plans and to uproot them at an early stage. So that information is vital to protect our societies and citizens. We have of course very often called for improving information sharing, feeding and using the databases in the way that I just mentioned. Figures are available, for instance in the EU CTC’s latest report. We know now that unprecedented levels of information have been shared with the taskforce, Fraternité, which was established at Europol in December 2015. Fortunately – and also importantly – we have made significant progress in recent years in terms of feeding and consulting databases, as is for example shown by the latest report from eu-LISA for 2015.

However, I agree with you that we need to further increase every day our efforts for a better exchange of information and interoperability of databases. Yes, to a certain extent that is technical work, but technical work that cannot function without political leadership and trust. That is the reality: the better feeding and use of databases is crucial, in particular SIS, the database ‘Focal Point Travellers’ at Europol. This can be improved immediately without any legislative change. I am convinced that trust and recognition of the operational added value of sharing information between Member States and with Europol or Eurojust are fundamental factors for success. That has to become in reality more and more constraining for the Member States.

We do this through the different parameters that have been mentioned. I will not go into the techniques of it, but obviously it has to do with very important issues like sharing biometric matching services, a common repository of data for different information systems, and the like. It is also key that we think through what it means if you have such a system and you believe in fundamental rights and privacy. We have to uphold our values also in fighting terrorism. Therefore full compliance with fundamental rights and data protection rules is a precondition for the way we manage and share that information for law enforcement.

On 28 April the European Union Data Protection Package was formally adopted by the co-legislators, and now it has to be implemented and will require measures to ensure clarity, guidance and workable solutions for the day-to-day work of what I just mentioned, the practitioners and the interoperability. Sharing expertise, experiences and practices internationally will facilitate a practical and more uniform support for practitioners when implementing and applying data protection requirements. The Commission’s High Level Expert Group – the Commissioner was speaking about that earlier – is also expected to look at the data protection implications of the various options to achieve interoperability and to report on progress to the Council.

  Președintele. – Dezbaterea a fost închisă.

Declaraţii scrise (articolul 162)

  Ангел Джамбазки (ECR), в писмена форма. – Смятам, че обменът на данни ще даде своето позитивно отражение върху борбата с транснационалната престъпност и тероризма, но също така смятам, че всяка една държава носи своята отговорност. Много е важно да бъде прието от всички ни, че сферата на сигурността и отбраната е приоритет на националната политика. За да бъде ефективна нашата борба, държавите членки трябва да инвестират във вътрешен ред, като по този начин ще пресекат транснационалните престъпни групи на собствена територия. Борбата с тероризма също е борба, отнасяща се до националните държави. Затова аз смятам, че само чрез силни национални държави и решения на местно ниво ние ще успеем да се противопоставим на международната престъпност и тероризма.

  Tunne Kelam (PPE), in writing. – Recent terrorist attacks have directly pointed at one of the biggest vulnerabilities of the EU – fragmentation of the Union’s information systems, exposing their inadequate interoperability and interconnectedness. Substantial amount of information is gathered around EU. However, it is not shared enough among the MS, nor is it fed into common information database. The existing databases are not used to their maximum capacity. Lack of trust between Member States and distrust for common databases is deeply rooted. One of the causes of such a deficiency of trust roots in different level of cyber security around Europe. Protection of critical information systems has to be upgraded to the maximum efficiency level in all Member States; only based on such level can one expect maximum sharing of information. I look forward to the framework on interoperability and interconnectedness of the information systems. In order to detect, follow and prevent terrorism and cross-border crime, law enforcement, border guards and other relevant players need a real time access to quality information of all EU databases. Member States should show political leadership, and implement what they declare – share, feed and use relevant information.

  József Nagy (PPE), írásban. – Örömmel fogadtam a Tanács és Bizottság képviselőinek jelenlétét az adatcsere és az európai információs rendszerek és adatbázisok használatának javításáról szóló vitán. Teljesen egyetértek Avramopoulos biztos kijelentésével, miszerint az egységben rejlik az erő. Az Európai Unión belüli hatékony operatív együttműködés és a külső szövetségesek felkutatása a terrorizmus leküzdésének egyik leghatékonyabb eszköze. A titkosszolgálatok és adatbázisaik közötti kapocs megerősítése a közös cél elérése érdekében kölcsönös bizalmat igényel.

Erre hívja fel a figyelmet az általam kezdeményezett írásbeli nyilatkozat is a terrorizmus elleni közös küzdelemről, ami éppen most, a legnagyobb szükség idején került a képviselők asztalára. Bízom benne, hogy az írásbeli nyilatkozat megkapja a kellő támogatást ahhoz, hogy ez a fontos üzenet a lehető legmagasabb szintre jusson.

  Eva Paunova (PPE), in writing. – Investigations of major terrorist attacks in Europe have highlighted the contradiction between the seemingly free movement of terrorists across Europe and the lack of EU-wide intelligence sharing. Stories of information non-sharing have emerged in the aftermath of all major terrorist attacks in Europe since the Madrid bombings in 2004.

Information sharing is our only effective weapon against asymmetric and unpredictable threats. The exchange of this information, and the coordination of law enforcement activities between two sovereign states presents unique challenges. The ability to work through these challenges is paramount in negotiating effective agreements between the Member States in order to maximize the potential of using advance information.

However, despite support for such coordination, we should equally recognise that there is significant work to be done. In part, this is because the political, administrative and judicial framework varies from one member state to another, which adds further impediments to effective information sharing and coordination.

I am very encouraged and confident in the international support given to advanced information in the continued fight against international terrorist and criminal organisations.

  Tibor Szanyi (S&D), írásban. – Üdvözlöm, hogy e napirendi pont keretében a Bizottság és a Tanács képviselője végre arra összpontosított, amire a kormányoknak már régóta kellene: a terrorizmus és más nemzetközi bűncselekmények elleni fellépés sikerének kulcsa a potenciális tettesek beazonosítása és megelőző intézkedéssel való semlegesítése, országhatároktól függetlenül, ám ehhez az információ- és adatcsere javítása nélkülözhetetlen. Ehelyett a legtöbb kormány a megfélemlítő, polgári jogokat korlátozó, az emberek normális életét megzavaró, tömeges intézkedések útját választotta, holott ez a gyakorlatban nem bizonyult eredményes módszernek. Ilyennek tartom a megkülönböztetés nélküli repülőtéri és egyéb utazási korlátozásokat, a személyes adatok ellenőrizetlen gyűjtését és felhasználását, a PNR-rendszer túlzásait.

Mindenekelőtt azonban azokat az önös belpolitikai indíttatású lépéseket egyes európai kormányok részéről, amelyek egyetlen célja saját lakosságuk kordában tartása, demokratikus jogaik korlátozása és az idegenellenesség szítása révén. Ilyen elsősorban a közös uniós fellépést ellehetetlenítő politika főkolomposa, a magyar Orbán, s az őt követő lengyel jobboldali kormány. Ezt bizonyítja a magyar Országgyűlésben „terrorizmus-ellenes harc” ürügyén elfogadott antidemokratikus, korlátozó jogszabályokat tartalmazó alkotmánymódosítás, valamint a lengyel kormány terve hasonló törvénycsomag bevezetése. A jobb bűnügyi adat- és információcsere, a szorosabb szakmai együttműködés, a hatékonyabb terrorelhárítás és bűnüldözés európai szinten nem valósulhat meg, amíg az EU renitens tagjait nem képes e fontos ügy szolgálatába állítani.