EPP and ALDE Groups want a special committee to examine the failures in our fight against terror

The Chairmen of the EPP and ALDE Groups want to set up a special committee in the European Parliament as soon as possible to examine what is needed to improve Europe's anti-terror cooperation.

EPP Group Chairman Manfred Weber said: "We are witnessing the failure of cooperation in Europe in the field of anti-terrorism. For example, many of the terrorists who committed recent attacks were already registered in databases. But the exchange of this data between Member States has not worked. Only through increased data exchange and more cooperation between the EU states can we ensure more security for our citizens. A stronger Europe means more security for the people."

ALDE Chairman Guy Verhofstadt said: "In the past, we have seen that information between intelligence services was not shared. In the attack in London, Italian authorities did warn their British peers about one attacker, having caught him in Bologna when he was trying to reach Syria. However, it did not lead to action from the British side. It is clear that the information exchange still contains many flaws. The Council should take this seriously and look into an option to create a European FBI."

"This is why we have requested a special European Parliament committee on terrorism. We need to know why the cooperation, which Interior Ministers have promised us so often, is not working perfectly. We can only ensure security if we work closely together", concluded Weber.