Faced with terrorism, Emmanuel Macron pleaded, Tuesday, November 10, for a strengthening of security in Europe.

European countries "need a coordinated and rapid response" to face the terrorist threat, declared the French head of state after a mini-summit by videoconference with several EU leaders , 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. 

The Internet is a space of freedom, our social networks too.

But this freedom only exists if there is security.

It only exists if the Internet is not the refuge of those who flout our values ​​or seek to indoctrinate with a deadly ideology.

- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) November 10, 2020

Emmanuel Macron also denounced Tuesday "the misuse of the right to asylum" in many European countries. "In all our countries, we are witnessing a misuse of the right of asylum", which is used "by traffickers", " networks "or people" from countries that are not at war, "he told reporters after a meeting with other European leaders. 

Deadly ideologies 

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 European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.  

They spoke of "the fight with determination against terrorist propaganda and hate speech on the Internet," said 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 system ("passenger name record").

"It is essential that this mechanism be fully implemented with rapidly linked databases, because any security breach at the external border or within Member States is a security risk for all States. members ", explained Emmanuel Macron. 

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. 

"Combat terrorist and anti-democratic behavior" 

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. 

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". 

The Austrian Chancellor spoke to him about the "thousands of foreign terrorist fighters who either survived the fighting in Syria, Iraq (...) and returned, or who could not leave (...) they are in prison. Some of them have already been released and the sad truth is that many of them will be released in the next few years. These are time bombs and if we are to protect all our freedom, we must restrict the freedom of these people ". 

With AFP

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