Emmanuel Macron welcomes Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to discuss the subject of terrorism, November 10, 2020. -

PIERRE VILLARD / SIPA

Faced with terrorism, European countries “need a coordinated and rapid response,” Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

He was talking to several leaders of the European Union during a mini-summit, after the attacks in France and Austria.

For the French President, this response must in particular relate to "the development of common databases, the exchange of information or the strengthening of penal policies", and a "complete and rigorous implementation of the arsenal of measures" that Europe has already acquired.

This meeting brought together Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, present at the Elysee Palace with Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin as well as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the Commission European Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.

On the Internet, freedom but not hate

They spoke of "the fight with determination against terrorist propaganda and hate speech on the Internet", specified the French head of state.

“The Internet is a space of freedom, our social networks too, but this freedom only exists if there is security and if it is not the refuge of those who flout our values ​​or seek to indoctrinate with deadly ideologies” , according to him.

Among the priorities is the need to “complete” the implementation of the PNR (passenger name record) system.

"It is essential that this system be fully implemented with databases quickly linked together because any security breach at the external border or within member states is a security risk for all member states. », Explained Emmanuel Macron.

The “misguided” right to asylum

Chancellor Merkel insisted on the fact that "it is not a fight of Islam against Christianity but the need for a model of democratic society to fight terrorist and anti-democratic behavior".

At the end of this meeting, Emmanuel Macron denounced "the misuse of the right to asylum" in many European countries.

"In all our countries, we are witnessing a misuse of the right to asylum", which is used "by traffickers", "networks" or people "coming from countries which are not at war".

This videoconference was organized a week after the jihadist attack in Vienna and after that in Nice and the beheading of Samuel Paty in France in October.

Himself threatened by jihadists, Emmanuel Macron wants to mobilize Europeans against Islamist terrorism and intends to present the first proposals in this direction to the European Council on December 10, with the objective "to succeed under the French presidency" in the first half of the year. 2022.

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  • Terrorism

  • EU

  • Austria

  • Society