EU Council: priority action on terrorism to continue

EU leaders
reiterated their determination to combat terrorism at a
summit on 16 – 17 December.

The European Council announced no new
initiatives but stressed the need to combat the continuing
terrorist threat through internal and international co-operation.
It urged prompt implementation of the Hague programme and welcomed
the revised EU action plan on terrorism. Priorities for the coming
year wil be:

• action plan to combat radicalisation and
  terrorist recruitment; 
• practical co-operation through Europol and
  Eurojust and judicial co-operation through the proposed evidence
  warrant (see EURACTIV 2 Dec 2004) and exchange of criminal
  records;
• border and passport security (see
  EURACTIV 15 Dec 2004);
• measures to combat terrorist financing: the
  Money Laundering Directive; misuse of charitable organisations;
  financial sanctions;
• a European programme for the protection of
  infrastructures against terrorist attack;
• further international co-operative
  action.

The Council also adopted a strategy on drugs for
the next 8 years. The Commission is to put forward proposals for a
2005-2008 action plan for adoption in early 2005. 

Parliament, however, has been critical of the
existing drugs strategy. On 15 Dec 2004 it adopted Guisto Catania’s
report recommending a shift of emphasis away from “repressive,
prohibitionist” policies towards a damage-reduction strategy
involving information, prevention, and care for those affected by
drug use.

Read more with Euractiv

Newly issued passports to include fingerprints

On 13 Dec the General Affairs Council approved two regulations dealing with biometric data in passports and external border security in the EU.