MEP Roberta Metsola calls for dynamic EU Security Strategy following attacks in Australia and Pakistan.
“We need to continue to tackle rising extremism and radicalisation with renewed vigour.”
During a debate on the European Union’s Internal Security Strategy in the European Parliament, Member of the European Parliament for Malta Roberta Metsola emphasised the importance of having a dynamic and functioning strategy.
“The recent events in Australia and Pakistan as well as the reported footholds of ISIS in Libya and around the world remind us just how crucial it is for proper coherence between internal and external aspects of security”, said Dr Metsola.
“There are no words to describe the horror at reading the news stories describing how murderers went from class to class killing innocent children in Pakistan”, underlined Dr Metsola.
“Now more than ever, the safeguarding of Europe’s internal security is at the forefront of citizen’s concerns. Without scaremongering, the EU must tackle rising extremism and radicalisation with renewed vigour, ‘foreign fighters’ – that is the rising number of EU citizens who travel to conflict areas to join terrorist organisations and then return to the EU – pose new threats to our internal security and must be tackled”, said the MEP.
Dr Metsola added that “the next EU Internal Security Strategy due next year must also as a priority address the issue of human trafficking. This crime generates around €150 million in illicit gains, and destroys the lives of those who are most vulnerable”.
On Libya, Dr Metsola underscored the importance of being vigilant. “Malta knows only too well of the risks of Libya continuing to fall into chaos, and the situation there remains precarious, with the EU Anti-Terrorism Coordinator having already warned of the threat of ISIS expanding in Libya.”
Dr Metsola concluded by stating that any Strategy agreed to must strike the right balance between security and guarantees for fundamental freedoms, in order for it to have the desired effect.
