EU: It was the duty of member-states of the European Union to act quickly in the light of the "appalling terrorist outrage" committed against Spain, the EU Commission said yesterday.
Setting out its position before today's emergency meeting in Brussels of justice and home affairs ministers, the Commission said: "One of the member-states of the Union is the victim of an appalling terrorist outrage. It is the duty of the Union, its institutions and all its member-states to act quickly and in a spirit of solidarity to provide all possible support and assistance to Spain in both investigating this outrage and bringing the perpetrators to justice, and in preventing the terrorist threat to Spanish and other EU territory for the future."
An action paper detailing the Commission's views suggested that a register of convictions could represent "a real contribution to the effectiveness of the fight against crime in general, and terrorism in particular".
The Commission also proposed the setting up of a "clearing-house mechanism" to exchange information between European police forces, judicial authorities and intelligence services. The exchange of information would focus on identifying terrorists' "sleeping cells", recruitment methods, financial bases and external connections.
The Commission's paper said that there was no need for a European equivalent of the CIA, as proposed by Austria and Belgium, but insisted that national authorities must work more closely with one another.
"The exchange of information among and between national authorities and at EU level must be dramatically improved. More than new institutions or bodies, the Union has to come forward with a comprehensive, across-the-board methodology for the exchange of information," it said.
The Commission called on ministers to review whether the EU's member-states have adequate measures to monitor and trace bomb-making materials such as explosives and detonators.
"Detection and traceability should become our keywords here. The tracing and checking of dangerous goods and explosives should be made possible by creating new databases or upgrading existing databases with new functionalities, as well as making full use of advanced technologies such as satellite-enhanced tracking," it said.
The Commission suggested a draft text for a declaration of solidarity to be adopted by EU leaders next week, based on the solidarity clause contained in the EU's draft constitutional treaty.
"The Union and its member- states shall act jointly in a spirit of solidarity if a member-state is the victim of a terrorist attack. All member-states are equally exposed to the threat of terrorism. The Union shall mobilise all the instruments at its disposal to: prevent the terrorist threat in the territory of the member-states; protect democratic institutions and the civilian population from any terrorist attack; assist a member-state in its territory at the request of its political authorities in the event of a terrorist attack," the draft text says.
Irish presidency officials said last night that a number of drafts were being considered but that the EU's four neutral member-states would insist that national governments should determine the nature of any assistance they offer to EU partners.
The Commission criticised the failure of some member-states to implement measures agreed after September 11th, 2001, including the European arrest warrant, which five member-states have yet to introduce.
France yesterday backed a proposal by the EU's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, for a senior official in the Council of Ministers, where national governments meet, to co-ordinate EU action against terrorism. Sweden's Justice Minister, Mr Thomas Bodström, suggested, however, that the EU should focus on implementing measures that have already been agreed rather than adopting new ones.
Mr Bodström rejected the Commission's proposal for a database of people under investigation for terrorist offences.
"The most important thing is to focus on the rule of law, that there be clear criteria, that there be a thorough examination and that there exist the possibility of appeal. We already have a vast exchange of information between the countries' intelligence services," he said.
Anti-terrorism proposals will be discussed by foreign ministers in Brussels next Monday before a final package of measures is approved by EU leaders at a summit next Thursday.