11 November 2006
United States, European Union Sign Pact on Transnational Crime, November 7, 2006(Agreement balances security, civil liberty, U.S. attorney general says)
By Carrie Loewenthal
Washington File Special Correspondent
Washington -- The U.S. Department of Justice has signed an agreement with EUROJUST, the judicial cooperation unit of the European Union (EU), intended to improve coordination between U.S. and EU prosecutors. The effort will enhance the ability to fight international crime, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said at a November 7 press conference following the signing.
"Under the principles we’ve set forth today, we will be able to strategize together on cases and enhance the exchange of evidence to combat transnational crime," said Gonzales. "The agreement is one more example of our efforts to work in concert with our European allies to attack the evil of international terrorism."
Gonzales went on to say that the agreement also acknowledges the need to "carefully balance our security needs as nations with the preservation of civil liberties for our citizens." He said that the United States and the European Union have no interest in gathering unnecessary personal information, or in holding on to information for longer than necessary.
The officials, including Gonzales, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Minister of Justice of Finland Leena Luhtanen, Minister of the Interior of Finland Kari Rajamaki, Vice President of the European Union Franco Frattini and Secretary of State of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior August Hanning, met in Washington to discuss criminal justice issues including terrorism, border security and human trafficking.
FIRM ON DEFENDING DEMOCRACY
Addressing the fight against terrorism, Frattini told the press that "Europe and [the] United States should continue to stay very firm on defending values, principles of democracy … including prevention of radicalization, including exploring the best way to tackle recruitment of young people [into terrorist groups]." He also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors in the effort to ensure security.
Hanning added that "information is the most important tool for fighting against terrorism," and with the signing of the agreement, "we have reached here considerable progress." He then stressed the importance of Internet surveillance as a tool for monitoring terrorists.
When asked about European concerns about U.S. treatment of detained terrorist suspects, Gonzalez said that the Military Commissions Act, signed into law by President Bush in October, provides standards to which the United States will adhere. (See related article.)
"I would hope and I believe that members of the European Community are more reassured as a result of the Congress speaking on behalf of the American people as to the certain level of treatment that we would provide as a matter of law to people detained by the United States of America," Gonzalez said.
VISAS AND AVIATION SECURITY
The meeting also focused on border security, particularly on several European countries vying for entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Citizens of VWP countries can travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa, so long as they have machine-readable passports. (See related article.)
"We have a road map for countries that are seeking admission to the program. We are currently working with a number of those countries to see what we can do to help them meet the milestones that are necessary to be admitted to the program," Chertoff said, noting that the admission requirements are set forth by Congress.
Chertoff also commented on the decision to maintain the aviation security alert at an elevated "orange" level. He said it was due to the terrorist plot uncovered by the British authorities in August. "Until we are confident that we have taken steps to institutionalize some of the changes that we’ve made as a consequence of that plot, we will continue to operate at the current level," Chertoff told reporters.
A transcript of the press conference on the Agreement to Improve Efforts to Fight International Crime is available on the Department of Justice Web site.
