MEPs slam Commission freedom restraints in anti-terror name

The politicians criticised the EU's executive arm the European Commission for permitting too much information to be gathered and shared too widely in the name of anti-terrorism. It said that several EU systems and the linking of them could lead to racial and ethnic profiling to identify likely suspects, which it said should be avoided.

The resolution on terrorism was passed by a small majority with 359 votes in favour, 293 against and 38 abstentions. It called for the Commission to carry out an evaluation of its policies in the light of the desired balance between security and human rights.

The Parliament vowed to conduct assessments of two policies of Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner Franco Frattini: his plan to ban bomb-making instructions from the internet and his proposals for the passenger name records (PNR) system which passes EU airline passenger details to US authorities. These two plans will be analysed "on evidence based argumentation", the MEPs said.

The MEPs called for tighter restrictions on the sharing of intelligence and on actions taken as a result of it. "Further rules are needed to ensure the necessary democratic scrutiny and parliamentary control over their activities," said a Parliament statement.

The resolution said that anti-terror laws had serious consequences. "Governments and EU institutions have often responded to terrorist attacks by adopting laws that have not been sufficiently discussed and some times in violation of basic human rights such as right to privacy or to a fair trial," it said.