EUCO: EPP Group calls for quick progress on EU PNR

"We need to draw lessons from the Paris terrorist attacks with clear political measures”, said Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group, on today’s debate in plenary on the latest European Council.

"This has to start with a closer cooperation of national authorities, of intelligence services", he said. "Monitoring movements of air passengers is also crucial, it has proven its efficiency", said Weber. “We call on socialist and liberal MEPs to stop blocking the text on EU Passenger Name Records and open the door to an agreement. It is better to have a single EU PNR system with high data protection standards as soon as possible than 28 different PNR systems in each Member State", he said.

"Better protection of external borders is also essential", he continued. "We need to improve and strengthen controls at our external borders instead of talking about reinstating national border controls which won’t solve any of our problems."

On the investment fund presented by the European Commission, Manfred Weber underlined that the EPP Group fully supports the investment plan proposed by Jean-Claude Juncker and repeated his wish that Member States contribute to the fund. “The EPP Group will do everything possible to go ahead with the legislative proposals fast”, he said.

Weber also warmly welcomed European Council President Donald Tusk to the European Parliament. “You are a real European, you drove Poland towards the EU and I am sure you will do a great job as European Council President. With you as the new Polish Council President, the time of ‘new’ Member States is over. We are all one united Europe", he said.