Roberta Metsola, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, the terrorist attacks in Europe that we have witnessed in the last years shocked us all, but our grief and our anger gave way to a grim resolve to counter the terrorist threat and to address both the immediate danger of more attacks and the causes of radicalisation that plague our societies. The attacks on our soil were no random attacks. Paris, Nice, Brussels, Berlin, were all targeted because these cities are the very embodiment of what Europe stands for. They were planned to strike the maximum amount of panic into all of us and designed to make us feel unsafe doing the things we always do, and living the lives that we want to live. They failed because fear did not define us, but determination did. And with this report we are going some way in ensuring that our systems adapt to the reality under which we find ourselves and ensure that we remain one step ahead of criminals and terrorists while respecting the values we cherish in Europe.

We are coming down harder on those so-called foreign fighters, EU nationals who travel to conflict zones only to return radicalised and recruit more people for their murderous cause. We are pushing forward concrete plans for better cooperation between Member States, and we come down on hate preachers or anyone who incites terrorism. Crucially, the report also lays down provisions that will allow victims of terrorism to receive all and whatever assistance they may require. Finally, allow me to thank the rapporteur for her very excellent work in pushing this file through, and urge you all to vote in favour of the report tomorrow so that we can send the strongest possible signal to our citizens.