As a result of terrorist attacks from Paris, terrorists` recruitment prevention and radicalization prevention have been recently debated in European Parliament. A large majority of MEPs have expressed its consensus regarding the report of Rachida Dati, French MEP belonging to EPP, who proposes the strengthening of security measures for preventing and combating terrorism.
The resolution proposes the following principles as main actions:
- The entitlement of member states` authorities to request internet networks and online platforms to delete violent messages that may spread extremism. Those platforms which refuse to cooperate, allowing the messages with illegal content to circulate can be considered accomplices and can be called to answer before the law;
- Radicalization combating in European prisons;
- Financing terrorist groups discouragement, by calling the Member States to implement high transparence standards and underlining the fact that money laundering, tax evasion can be serious sources for financing terrorist organizations;
- Systematic collecting and usage of international flights passengers` data.
The proposals have been positively received by main political families and the resolution has been adopted with 548 votes pro, 110 cons and 36 abstentions. The Eurosceptic from EFDD group, far right nationalists from ENF and the far left from GUE-NGL voted against.
From the 32 Romanian MEPs, 26 voted pro, 2 abstained (Dan Nica from S&D and Mihai Țurcanu from EEP), 3 were absent (Emilian Pavel and Claudiu Tănăsescu from S&D and Adina – Ioana Vălean from EEP) and only Laurențiu Rebega, member of ENF voted against resolution, being loyal to his political group.
At the plenary debate from Strasbourg two Romanian MEPs had an oral intervention on the topic.
Monica Macovei declared on behalf of the ECR conservative family: “Mrs. President, the 5000 European citizens went to fight for terrorist organizations in Irak and Syria are not certainly our failure. We have to focus on cause and we must prevent this number to grow. In these times we must mainly stop any threat or any terrorist attack on us and, per se, some urgent measure are supposed to be implemented: the rapid adoption of the directive regarding European register of air passengers, PNR directive. Also, dismantle of terrorist groups must be done especially by combating illicit financing.”
Laurențiu Rebega, the only one Romanian MEP who voted against resolution said: “In this context I appreciate that the requested measures in the present report are to be urgently implemented”. His vote justification against Rachidei Dati report is probably determined by his loyalty to ENF political group position.
The vote in European Parliament emphasizes the impact that recent events had on the decision between security strengthening or intimacy protection, consisting in this way a majority sustaining stricter border controls to EU external frontiers and enhanced rights for security agencies in order to control virtual environment.
