About: usterrorism Archives

Commissioner for health and consumer protection, David Byrne, called for an urgent review of EU defence mechanisms against potential bioterrorism attacks on its food chain. The commissioner told EU ministers of agriculture in Luxembourg on 23 October that he would talk to several ministers of health later this week to discuss relevant defence mechanisms.

The European Parliament debated in its plenary session on 22 October the issue of safety of nuclear plants and large industrial installation in case of a terrorist attack. Commissioner Vitorino told MEPs that the Commission is planning new safety measures including a ban on flights over nuclear power plants.

The informal European Council in Ghent on 19 October highlighted growing tensions between Member States over US military action in Afghanistan. It also tempered apparent progress on issues such as a European arrest warrant and anti-money laundering measures with the realisation that a number of practical obstacles must still be overcome before these can come into effect.

The international campaign against terrorism is
likely to dominate the agenda of the informal EU summit of
Ghent on Friday, 19 October. The formal agenda includes the
launch of the euro, the future of the EU and enlargement.
However, the 11 September terrorist attacks in the US made
security issues the top priority for Europe.

Foreign ministers of the 15 EU Member States
expressed concern for the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan
and discussed the future of the country in the event of the
removal of the Taliban regime. At an extraordinary meeting in
Luxembourg on 17 October, the ministers adopted a plan for the
Union's future dealings with Afghanistan.

European Union ministers of finance and justice
will discuss new measures to prevent the funding of terrorism
at an extraordinary meeting in Luxembourg on 16 October. The EU
is expected to impose heavy financial sanctions against
financial institutions and countries suspected of laundering
money and to finalise the European arrest warrant
initiative.

The European Commission and EU Member States
have adopted a number of measures to counter the threat of
bio-terrorist attacks after Europe and the US have been hit by
several anthrax scares. US experts believe the anthrax
discovered in these cases is not the laboratory-made type that
would be used in a biological terrorist attack.

The European Commission has adopted an action
plan to respond to potential threats of bio and nuclear
terrorism on Friday, 12 October. The US and European nations
are stepping up measures to counter bio-terrorism amidst
intelligence warnings that terrorists may be preparing to use
biochemical weapons in further attacks.

The European Commission will discuss
precautionary measures to deal with the threat of biological
warefare against EU Member States on Thursday, 11 October. The
US and European nations are stepping up measures to counter
bio-terrorism amidst intelligence warnings that terrorists may
be preparing to use biochemical weapons in further
attacks.

The EU foreign ministers called on the United
Nations to set up a new, truly representative transitional
government in Afghanistan. Britain, France and Germany put
forward their own proposals for the future of war-torn
Afghanistan, oppressed by the Taliban regime.

Officials from Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Finland are meeting in Brussels on 15 October to discuss the possible creation of common European border police. The initiative to set up common border controls is part of the drive to improve the security of the EU's external border in the perspective of its eastward expansion.

The US has launched a second round of airstrikes
against Afghan targets on Monday 8 October. In Europe, some
political commentators are expressing doubts about the
effectiveness and the geopolitical opportunity of the American
"war on terrorism"

The US has launched retaliatory attacks against
the Afghan Taliban on Sunday 7 October. Commission President
Prodi and several EU leaders expressed their support for the
fight against terrorism, but stated that this "fight is not
against religions or peoples".

The foreign ministers of the 15 EU Member
States, meeting in Brussels on Monday, 8 October, are expected
to pass further counter-terrorism measures. The Belgian
Presidency of the Union plans to issue a political statement
confirming the EU's determination to play its full role in the
global anti-terrorism campaign.

The European Parliament approved a regulation on
4 October that will enable EU Member States to freeze terrorist
accounts across Europe and restrict the financing of terrorism.
The European Commission proposed a regulation on 2 October that
EU Member States block all funds held by organisations and
individuals suspected of supporting and financing terrorist
activities.

The US made a formal request to NATO on 3 October for the use of a number of NATO assets, including surveillance aircraft, ports, military bases and air space. The request was made by the US ambassador to NATO, Nicholas Burns, the day after NATO had invoked Article 5 of its treaty relating to the mutual defence of its members. The US has also made a number of separate, bilateral requests for military assistance from countries such as France.

The improvement in EU-Russia relations that has occurred since the terrorist attacks in the US on 11 September continued yesterday during President Putin's visit to Brussels. His support for the international campaign against terrorism brought him further dividends as the EU promised to work to speed up Russia's entry to the WTO. Mr Putin also appeared to soften his stance on NATO enlargement to the Baltic States at the same time as agreeing to co-operate more closely with the EU on security issues.

NATO has formally invoked its mutual defence clause after receiving "clear and compelling" evidence from the United States that Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qaida terrorist network was behind the 11 September attacks in the US. This is the first time in NATO's history that the alliance reaffirms its founding principle that an attack upon one is an attack upon all.

The European Commission proposed a regulation on
2 October that EU Member States freeze all funds held by
organisations and individuals suspected of supporting and
financing terrorist activities.

US President George Bush has warned Americans not to expect a quick victory in the fight against terrorism. His warning came in a speech to a joint session of Congress on 20 September in Washington DC in which he also gave Afghanistan's Taliban leadership an ultimatum - hand over the leaders of the terrorist group al Qaeda or face the consequences.

The European Commission has approved two proposals aimed at boosting the European response to the threat of international terrorism. The proposals include a single definition of terrorism, the crimes that would fall under that definition, what constitutes a terrorist group and a European-wide arrest warrant to replace extradition procedures.

Europe fears it may itself become a target of terrorist attacks. According to Belgium's Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, a terrorist network, connected with Osama Bin Laden, has been established across the EU for the past ten years.

European Union leaders will be meeting for an emergency Summit in Brussels on Friday 21 September to discuss a coordinated response to the terrorist attacks on the US. On Thursday 20 September, there will be a special Council of EU ministers of justice and the interior.

Over the weekend, the events in the US have concentrated on the American mourning process and the prospects of retaliation against Afghanistan. EURACTIV presents further analysis and comments on this issue.