European Union Statements on the 5th Anniversary of the September 11 Attacks

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso issued the following statement:

Five years have now passed since the terrible events of 11th September 2001. Today is a time to remember the victims and express our solidarity with those left behind by this and all other terrorist attacks.

The EU response to the 11th September 2001 attacks in the United States was immediate with increased cooperation with the United States on the fight against terrorism. The European Commission will continue to deliver results through the EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy. More remains to be done such as fighting radicalization and recruitment. We need effective policies to prevent and detect the misuse of explosives, protect critical infrastructure and ensure transport security. Vice-President Frattini has written today to the U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General to underline the continued commitment of the European Union to increased cooperation with the United States in this area.

We are more determined than ever to tackle the causes, and the consequences of global terrorism. We have to tackle not just the methods used but also the ideas of those that wage this campaign. Ignorance and mistrust are essential to the terrorists' strategy. Our response must be to stand up for our values, namely respect for human rights, which are the surest guarantee of our future security.

The following letter was sent by Franco Frattini, European Commission Vice-President, to Michael Chertoff, U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security, in memory of the events of 11 September 2001:

Five years have passed since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Our deepest sympathy went out to the victims, their families and all Americans. We saw that senseless loss of so many innocent lives as an unacceptable act of violence without precedent in the modern era. Immediately after the initial shock we joined our efforts to fight the threat that terrorism poses to our societies and to our democratic values. Those efforts continue to be necessary today.

Five years on we are still fighting together the scourge of terrorism. But we have come a long way and are better prepared to respond than we were five years ago. Europe has suffered major attacks but has been able to thwart several attempts to cause more loss of innocent lives by terrorists. The most important lesson learnt has been that the key to success in our fight against terrorism is co-operation with our allies and partners. The EU and the US have worked closely together at all levels. Our joint efforts have helped us safeguard our societies based on the rule of law and democracy, as we both agree that we can fight terrorism effectively only on the basis of our fundamental values. For the European Union, the fight against terrorism remains a priority. Last year we adopted a new counter-terrorism strategy that focuses our efforts on four key actions: to prevent, to protect, to prosecute and to respond.

Most recently, I met my European colleagues on 16 August in London to discuss how to step up our efforts. We concentrated on key areas such as fighting radicalization and recruitment, use of the internet by terrorists, prevention and detection of the misuse of explosives, protection of critical infrastructure and transport security. All these topics are an important part of our shared platform with you. We are and will continue to be in constant dialogue to deliver a comprehensive response to the threat of terrorism.

We have had successes: Europol and the US signed a strategic co-operation agreement in December 2001, and a second agreement concerning exchange of personal data in December 2002. I hope that the concluded agreements on mutual legal assistance and extradition will shortly enter into force. EU-US discussions on border security have opened up new horizons for enhanced co- operation. Looking to the future, the exchange of personal information will be a key issue. We must rise to the challenge of providing our law enforcement agencies with the information they need to do their work, while remaining true to our commitment to privacy and data protection. The PNR agreement is a crucial step in this regard and then we can take a broader look at the general issue of data sharing.

For further information on EU actions in the fight against terrorism, please visit: http://www.eurunion.org/