The 27 EU countries said on Friday 13 November that they were determined to strengthen the security of the Union's external borders and to quickly bring about European legislation for the timely removal of “
terrorist content
” on the Internet.
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This joint declaration by European interior ministers was adopted on Friday, following the attacks in France and Austria, five years to the day after the jihadist attacks of November 13, 2015 in Paris.
"
We reaffirm our determination to do everything in our power to fight this barbaric terror in a comprehensive way, with all the tools at our disposal,
" said the ministers, who paid tribute to the victims.
The virtual ministerial meeting comes three days after a mini European summit hosted by Paris, which stressed the need for a rapid coordinated response from the EU to step up the fight against terrorism.
"
We all agree that the protection of Europe's external borders must be significantly strengthened, in particular for security reasons
," German Interior Minister Horst told reporters. Seehofer, whose country holds the six-monthly presidency of the EU.
"Room for improvement"
European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson called on Member States to "
apply existing tools, such as the Schengen Information System (European file in the framework of police cooperation) and the directive on firearms
".
She insisted on the importance of systematic checks at the EU's external borders, citing a 2019 study by Frontex, the European border guard agency, according to which 22% of those entering the Schengen area do not 'have not been duly registered.
“
So there is clearly room for improvement,
” she commented.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently pleaded for "
in-depth
"
reform of
the rules governing the Schengen area of free movement, and "
greater control
" of borders, a week after the attack on a church in Nice whose author , a Tunisian, had just arrived in Europe.
The Commission plans to organize a forum on 30 November bringing together the member countries of the EU and the Schengen area (which brings together 22 of the 27 EU countries, plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein ), in order to prepare a reform of the rules governing this area, expected in May 2021.
The ministers also said they were determined to bring about "
before the end of the year
" negotiations currently underway for European legislation aimed at removing "
terrorist content
" online
within the hour
.
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