Today, the Socialists and Democrats at the European Parliament announced the creation of a special task force to contribute to the development of an effective and integrated response to terrorism.
 
It will be co-chaired by MEPs Tanja Fajon, S&D vice-president for civil liberties, justice and home affairs, and Knut Fleckenstein , S&D vice-president for foreign affairs.
 
The task force will handle a wide range of policy areas, including education, social protection, co-operation of intelligence services, the protection of fundamental rights, non-discrimination and the protection of minorities, data protection, the management of common borders, police and judicial co-operation and security policy co-operation with countries outside the EU.
 
This "policy mix" is at the heart of the S&D approach to the fight against terrorism.
 
The task force is composed of the following MEPs:

Claude Moraes (chair of the European Parliament committee on civil liberties, justice and home affairs),
Birgit Sippel (S&D coordinator on civil liberties, justice and home affairs),
Richard Howitt,
Ioan Mircea Pașcu,
Elena Valenciano,
Maria João Rodrigues,
Jörg Leichtfried,
Victor Boștinaru
 
 Announcing the new anti-terrorism task force, S&D vice-president Tanja Fajon said:
 
"The terrorist threat can only be countered in an effective way by combining an upgraded security policy with the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, and a major effort to integrate vulnerable groups into our societies. We need a holistic approach in the fight against terrorism. There is a need to tackle radicalisation in schools and in prison, and to focus our debate on Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Europe." 

S&D vice-president Knut Fleckenstein added:

"In order to fight terrorism effectively, we need to identify the people financing the networks. We need to take a clear position on what measures to take to supress the financial flows, and most importantly, we need to rigorously implement and enforce these measures. To be successful, we must strengthen our ties with third countries to form an international alliance.”

S&D press contact