Answer given by Ms Johansson on behalf of the European Commission
25.2.2021
On 9 December 2020 the Commission adopted a new Counter-Terrorism Agenda for the EU along with the proposal to strengthen the role of the EU’s law enforcement agency (Europol) in preventing and countering terrorism[1].
The new mandate would enable Europol inter alia to create alerts in the Schengen Information System on foreign terrorist fighters, to process large datasets in support of counter-terrorism investigations and to cooperate more effectively with private parties.
The Commission is fully committed to ensuring that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) can take up its operational functions as soon as possible and to provide it with the resources necessary. The Commission’s commitment has already resulted in a substantial increase of the EPPO’s draft 2021 budget.
The a nnex to the Commission Communication on an initiative to extend the competences of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office to cross-border terrorist crimes[2] includes a Commission’s initiative for the possible adoption of a European Council Decision amending Article 86, paragraphs (1) and (2), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU with a view to extending the EPPO’s mandate to terrorist offences affecting more than one Member State.
On 30 September 2020, the Commission presented a report[3] on the measures that Members States have taken to comply with Directive (EU) 2017/541[4], and has repeatedly called on Member States to transpose it fully and correctly.
The Commission is currently carrying out the analysis of the national measures adopted to transpose the directive. Following this assessment, the Commission may decide to launch new infringement procedures .