The President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, has welcomed the fast response of the Council to the terrorist attacks in Paris, Africa and the Middle East.
President Pittella said:
"We all watched in horror as the attacks unfolded in Paris last week. We recognise action must be taken to support France and make sure European citizens are safe. This needs to be done in a clear and thought through way that does not mean giving up our common freedoms and values. We welcome the prompt response coming from the Council and the recognition that we need a common European response. We hope that the operational measures adopted will increase the EU's capacity to fight against terrorism. This immediate response must go hand in hand with tackling the root causes of this bloody threat - instability in our neighbourhood and social and economic exclusion in the EU.
"We support a swift political agreement on PNR but also see that this is only part of a wider strategy that must also include data protection, strengthening of Europol and stronger firearms control.
"Securing Europe's external border must be our key priority along with greater cooperation among the national intelligence services. Internal border measures must only be temporary, in the long term we must recognise the importance of Schengen and work to protect it. We must not allow this attack to divide us or allow us to forget our values and humanity - we cannot become a fortress."
