EU: The European Union has promised tough action within weeks to tackle terrorism in the aftermath of the Madrid massacre, appointing Europe's first counter-terrorism co-ordinator, who will start work next Monday.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said that all the EU leaders had promised in Brussels last night to implement without delay anti-terrorism measures approved in the wake of the September 11th 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. There would also be new steps to improve security co-operation.
"Now we have to set hard dates to complete it. We can't allow it to drift," he said.
The leaders agreed that all member-states must implement six key measures, including a European Arrest Warrant to simplify extradition, by June at the latest.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, will report before the end of the Irish presidency in June on how to improve the sharing of intelligence by integrating it into EU structures.
Mr Gijs de Vries, a former secretary of state in the Dutch interior ministry and his government's representative at the Convention on the Future of Europe, will become the EU's first counter-terrorism co-ordinator. Mr de Vries, who will report to Mr Solana, will have the task of bringing together all anti-terrorist measures taken at European level.
"The job may evolve later if events require it, but what is most important now is to get better co-operation with the member-states so that when a decision is taken it is implemented," Mr Solana said.
The leaders adopted a declaration of solidarity against terrorism which commits EU governments to come to one another's aid in the event of a terrorist attack. The declaration anticipates a "solidarity clause" in the EU's draft constitutional treaty.
The Taoiseach hinted that Ireland could drop its objection to the abolition of the national veto in some areas of criminal law and judicial co-operation, saying that "useful meetings" on the issue had taken place in recent days.
"What happened on the commuter trains in Madrid was an affront not only to the Spanish people, but to all right-thinking people everywhere. Terrorism is not just undemocratic. It is anti-democratic. It is not just inhuman, it is an affront to humanity. It runs counter to all the values on which the European Union is founded," Mr Ahern said.
Among new measures proposed yesterday are rules on the retention of communications traffic data by service-providers, the exchange of information on terrorist convictions, cross-border hot pursuit and a European register of convictions and qualifications.
The Taoiseach said that from now on countries which want a good relationship with the EU will have to show that they are building up a counter-terrorism strategy.
The Commission President, Mr Romano Prodi, said that although nothing could justify terrorism, the issues of poverty and injustice, which fuelled terrorism, had to be addressed.
While EU leaders discussed the constitutional treaty last night, foreign ministers held talks on the Middle East. They were due to adopt a statement expressing deep concern at the worsening of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the killing by Israeli forces of the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
"While having repeatedly condemned terrorist atrocities against Israelis and recognised Israel's right to protect its citizens against terrorist attacks, the European Union has consistently opposed extra-judicial killings, which are contrary to international law. The present cycle of retaliatory violence has caused widespread suffering and loss of life, has inflamed the situation and is taking the parties ever further from a negotiated settlement," the draft statement said.
Draft declaration on combating terrorism: edited extracts
The European Council, deeply shocked by the terrorist attacks in Madrid, expresses its sympathy and solidarity to the victims, their families and to the Spanish people ...
The threat of terrorism affects us all. A terrorist act against one country concerns the international community as a whole. There will be neither weakness nor compromise of any kind when dealing with terrorists. No country in the world can consider itself immune ...
The European Council calls for the development of a long-term EU strategy to address all the factors which contribute to terrorism. As we stated in the Conclusions of our meeting on September 21st 2001, the Union must increase its involvement in the efforts of the international community to prevent and stabilise regional conflicts and promote good governance and the rule of law ...
The European Council acknowledges that the legislative framework created by the Union for the purpose of combating terrorism and improving judicial co-operation has a decisive role to play in combating terrorist activities ...
Member-states reaffirm their commitment to reinforce judicial co-operation. They are invited to ensure the execution of any request for mutual legal assistance related to terrorist offences and to provide each other with the fullest co-operation ...
The European Council calls on member-states to ensure that law enforcement agencies (security services, police, customs etc) co-operate with each other and exchange all information relevant to combating terrorism as extensively as possible ...
The European Council calls on member-states to ensure that the optimum and most effective use is made of existing EU bodies, in particular Europol and Eurojust, to promote co-operation in the fight against terrorism ...
The European Council recognises that there is a need to ensure that terrorist organisations and groups are starved of the components of their trade.
In particular, there is a need to ensure greater security of firearms, explosives, bomb-making equipment and the technologies that contribute to the perpetration of terrorist outrages. It instructs the Council to examine the scope for measures in this area ...
The European Council invites the Commission to bring forward proposals to the June European Council in relation to exchange of personal information (DNA, fingerprints and visa data) for the purpose of combating terrorism ...
The European Council also instructs the Council to adopt by the end of 2004 the Commission's proposals for the incorporation of biometric features into passports and visas ...
The European Council calls upon member-states to improve mechanisms for co-operation and the promotion of effective systematic collaboration between police, security and intelligence services ...
The European Council believes that strong preventive action must continue to be taken against the sources of financing of terrorist organisations ... to swiftly disrupt the flow of financial resources to terrorist groups ...
The Commission will consider improvements on regulation and transparency of legal entities, including charities and alternative remittance systems, which may be used by terrorists to acquire
funding for their activities ...
The EU will pursue dialogue with third countries on this crucial issue in order to step up the fight against the financing of terrorism.
The European Council emphasises that a comprehensive and strongly-co-ordinated approach is required in response to the threat posed by terrorism. The European Council accordingly agrees to the establishment of the position of a Counter-Terrorism Co-ordinator.
The co-ordinator, who will work within the Council Secretariat, will co-ordinate the work of the Council in combating terrorism and, with due regard to the responsibilities of the Commission, maintain an overview of all the instruments at the Union's disposal with a view to regular reporting to the Council and effective follow-up of Council decisions.