EU Plan of Action on Combating Terrorism - Update

The European Council welcomed in its meeting on 17 and 18 June the Action Plan on Terrorism and urged the institutions and Member States to fulfil outstanding commitments within the deadlines established. It stated that it would review the Action Plan twice a year, beginning at its December 2004 meeting.

This document presents this first review, drafted by the Presidency in close cooperation with the Counter Terrorism Coordinator and the Commission. It consists of three parts: this Cover note, an updated matrix, containing all the actions of the Action Plan and an annex showing an overview of the implementation by Member States of EU-legislation in the fight against terrorism as well as ratification of the relevant UN-Conventions.

The European Council Declaration of 25 March 2004 set out the following seven strategic objectives for the EU’s Action Plan against terrorism:

1. To deepen the international consensus and enhance international efforts to combat terrorism;

2. To reduce the access of terrorists to financial and economic resources;

3. To maximise the capacity within EU bodies and Member States to detect, investigate and prosecute terrorists and to prevent terrorist attacks;

4. To protect the security of international transport and ensure effective systems of border control;

5. To enhance the capability of the European Union and of member States to deal with the consequences of a terrorist attack;

6. To address the factors which contribute to support for, and recruitment into, terrorism;

7. To target actions under EU external relations towards priority Third Countries where counter-terrorist capacity or commitment to combating terrorism needs to be enhanced.

About 150 actions were attached to these strategic objectives. Many of them were accompanied by specified deadlines. Other actions are of an on-going nature or specified in more general terms (‘as soon as possible’ or ‘without delay’). Action should be undertaken by different EU-bodies (Council, Commission) or by Member States. The Matrix, attached to this review of the Action Plan, shows the progress for every specified action. This Cover note reports in more general terms on the work carries out during the Netherlands Presidency of the Council.

EU Plan of Action on Combating Terrorism