'EU-wide cooperation needed to tackle terrorism' - Mizzi

At an extraordinary S&D Group meeting "Decoding DAESH – countering terrorism and radicalisation in Europe and beyond", labour MEP Marlene Mizzi questioned if Europe and its Member States are prepared for one of the most challenging threats that humanity face today - terrorism.

Mizzi said, "It is almost certain that terrorism will continue challenging us in the near future, but what is Europe doing to prevent it? Are we really prepared to fight terrorism?  And do we have the right instruments to fight such a global threat? Is Europe looking into the possibility of a terrorist attack using chemical, biological, radiological or even nuclear materials?"

Mizzi expressed her concern after recent reports that terrorist organisations are becoming more trans-national, logistically well organised and well-funded. Experts are warning that there is a real threat of future terrorist attacks using internationally banned weapons of mass destruction. The well-coordinated organisation of the recent attacks in Paris highlights how global and advanced these organisations have become, but she was

Mizzi commented that Islamic fundamentalism has become a global movement with its own ideology. We have to understand that in order to defeat terrorist organisations such as ISIL/DAESH, we must first defeat their ideology and show to the world that violence is not the answer, because, killing innocent people is not being loyal to the true  teaching of Islam.

"There's too much at stake. Non action is not an option. Terrorism is a global threat with cross-border implications and therefore requires to be addressed in a coordinated way relying on cooperation, common strategies and EU-wide measures as part of an overall holistic EU framework." said Mizzi.

"Europe needs to reinforce its current strategy by encompassing immediate short and longer-term measures to pre-empt and eradicate this threat for good."