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EU Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brok to EuroFora on USA Experts' Report on NSA
EU Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brok to EuroFora on USA Experts' Report on NSA

*Brussels/EPP Summit - Meise Castle/Angelo Marcopolo/- Experienced, long-time President of EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, (which is also responsible for Security/Defence, as well as Human Rights, etc), Christian Democrat/EPP MEP Elmar Brok, of the Governing in Germany Party CDU/CSU, who has recently Headed an EU Delegation to Washington D.C. on the Internet Spying by NSA October Scandal, speaking to "EuroFora" in Brussels, was the 1st Top EU Official to react in Public to the publication, Yesterday afternoon, of the Recommendations made by a White House "Independent Experts"' Report, asked by US President Obama, on how to address the Trust Gap inevitably provoked among Citizens, Businesses and Politicians, by the still on-going , and not-denied Revelations about massive Internet, Emails and Mobile Phones' eavesdroping, throughout Europe and accross the World, by the North American NSA, etc.
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The move was topically made during the arrival of invitees to the European People's Party's December 2013 Summit of Heads of State/Government at the Castle of Meise, at Brussels' outskirts, as usually just before the European Council's Summit, later toNight at its Schuman square premisses, which were both Exceptionaly scheduled this time some Hours Earlier than previously, in view of a forthcoming long debate and decisions, later tonight, on EU's common Security/Defence policies.
German Chancellor Angie Merkel, a protagonist of the issue since the October EU Summit's row (See relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport sent from Brussels then), arrived, as scheduled, to the Castle of Meirs, a little bit later, exceptionaly without making any Public Statement, where she found, among 12 Heads of State/Government, 2 deputy-Prime Ministers, 9 Heads of main Opposition Parties, and 2 EU Institutions' Presidents : Council's Van Rompuy and Commission's Barroso, also the incoming EU Chair, Greek Prime Minister Samaras, as well as the EU Commission's vice-President responsible for Defence/Security Industry and Space, etc. Tajani, together with the new EPP President Daul, who still holds a key position in EU Parliament as Chairman of the biggest Group of MEPs (EPP/ChristianDemocrats), due to make an important contribution on EU Citizens' present concerns about Data Protection.
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- "EuroFora" asked President Brok : - "For the NSA, ...do you think that the Report that was just publIshed yesterday in the US (by the White House), satisfies what you had asked, together with the Chancellor (Merkel, since last October) ?
- "I' am not of the opinion that they (USA Federal Government) are doing nothing", carefully started to reply Brok.
- But "The General Question of Data protection has now to respond also to some serious data protection concerns (currently existing) in the public opinion, he added, obviously pointing at even more recent Revelations about more and more important Heads of State, including close of close Allies' Countries, such as Israel, after Germany, etc.; in addition to Massive Mobile Phones' eavesdropping and/or Emails' Meta-Data, etc, currently reported at the International Press.
=> - "And, there, I think that what has to be done is much more !", concluded EU Parliament's Security and Defence Committee's President in reply to "EuroFora"s Question.

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Significantly, the Obama-ordered American "Independent" Experts' Report on NSA was disclosed by the White House in Washington DC. shortly before the December 2013 EU Heads of State/Goverment's Summit was prepâring to start in Brussels, officially focusing mainly on Defense and Security policy issues, after the October row, (Comp. previous "EuroFora"s NewsReports from Brussels : ....)

=> Thus, now, Enlarging the very Concepts of "Defence" and "Security" towards a set of New Challenges, the Conclusions due to be agreed this December 2013 by EU's Heads of State/Government, later NoNight in Brussels, reportedly include also an EU "Cyber Defense" Policy, whose outlines should Start to be defined right from Next Year : 2014, together with the European Defence Agency, etc.
+ But EU Countries intend also to "enhance" their "Capabilities" on an EU Strategy for "Cyber-Security", including f.ex. "Dual", Civil-Military projects, Training and/or protecting "EU Missions", etc.
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Meanwhile, recent measures to enhance Cooperation between the EU's 28 Member States and PanEuropean CoE's 47 Member-States (including Russia, etc), also in this domain are reportedly evolving in areas very relevant to the NSA scandal, including f.ex. in their respective, parallel but coordinated developments of Data Protection Legal mechanisms, as CoE's General Director for Legal matters and Human Rights, Philippe Boillat, recently told "EuroFora", (comp. f.ex. also : ...... ),
but also in New, Global EU - CoE Projects on Cyber-Crime, the Budapest Convention, etc ., as CoE's experienced Head of CyberSecurity, Alexander Senger from Austria, confirmed to "EuroFora", following an interesting International Conference, earlier this Month in Strasbourg.
In such a direction of EU/CoE cooperation might also evolve at least some among the necessary Work on "Basic, well-established Legal Principles" about Data Protection at the Internet, that German Chancellor Angie Merkel has already highlighted at her recent, brief but Topical, Statements to certain, selected Media, including "EuroFora",just after the conclusion of her 1st Press Conference, already since last October 2013, during the precedent EU Summit in Brussels, (Comp. relevant "EuroFora"s NewsReport, already sent to Subscribers/Donors, earlier).

But, this time, on December 2013, Merkel didn't explicitly mentioned this issue in her 1st Press Conference, and French President Hollande even reacted just with a large Smile, and a mysterious : - "Ah, the Internet !...", apparently amused, because suddenly released from the much Harsher Tension of risks for physical, even Deadly clashes in Central-Africa, etc., when "EuroFora" referred, at the end of his 1st Press Conference, to the "Internet Security" issue, asking for his views on the White House Experts' Report published at Washington D.C. Yesterday afternoon, ...

Meanwhile, at any case, the incoming EU chairman-in-office on JHA, Greek Minister for the Interior, Dendias, a long-time CoE Top MEP for years in Strasbourg, apparently seems to have found at least certain practical means (partly inspired by Merkel) allowing some Hope for a Safe January - June 2015 EU Presidency in the Digital Communications domain, as "EuroFora" witnessed on the sidelines of Brussels' December 2013 EPP Summit, under the careful and vigilent eye of Defense Minister Avramopoulos...

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("NDLR" : DraftNews, as already sent to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version, may be published asap).
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They voted to "freeze" UK Government's draft to put People in jail for 42 Days on "anti-terrorist" suspicion without charge, or they abstained. Don't they look suspect ?
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CoE's debate on UK controversy stirs PanEuropean check of anti-terror suspects' imprisonment
Former Leftists of the Sixties would boil in hot water if they heard PACE's debate on the controversial 42 days detention without charge, currently drafted by the British Government :
A "Socialist" Government, a Socialist PACE Rapporteur and a Socialist Chair of PACE's Legal Committee, opposed a .. "Conservative" amendment (supported by .. Liberals, Democrats, etc), to freeze the measure, in order to protect Citizens' Freedom, by "waiting" until CoE's Venice Committee checks its conformity with Human Rights' principles.
"Left"'s support to Conservative-Lib.Dem's criticism, wasn't enough to obtain a majority, nor to make things as they were back in the good old days, when "Left" and "Right" had a clear meaning, as "liberty" and "restrictions"...
Conservatives and most Democrats were joined by the Left in voting for the "freeze", as well as Liberal Paul Rowen, while Socialist MEP Ivan Popescu, an experienced MEP from Ukraine (PACE Member since 1996-2008) abstained. But most Socialists, added to a few Liberals and EPP's Right, voted against.
Fortunately, someone inside PACE had the wise idea to shorten the Debate for less than 1 Hour, and put it on the Agenda only at the end of an exceptionally busy day, towards the end of the Evening, when most MEPs had already gone to taste wins and foods at various Receptions all around Strasbourg's "European" area : As a result, not even 42 MEPs weren't present..
Socialist Lord Tomlinson accused the leaders of the PanEuropean Assembly, in its highest body : the "Bureau", to "lack wisdom" by deciding to hold a Debate on an issue that neither the Socialist Chair of the Legal Committee, nor its Socialist "reluctant Rapporteur", did "not want to do", ...

Finally, everybody (critics and supporters alike) was happy to agree, in substance, that the controversial measure "may" gravely violate Human Rights, and therefore, PACE asked Legal Experts of Venice Commission to check UK Government''s plans.
But this might take more than .. 42 Days to do, since PACE's Rapporteur asked the Experts to enlarge their study in a PanEuropean comparison of all that is happening on "anti-terrorism" legislation in 47 CoE Member Countries, including Russia, Turkey and Azerbaidjan..
Bad lack : "The existing 28 days’ detention without charge in the UK is, in comparison with other CoE member countries, one of the most extreme : In Turkey, the period is 7,5 days, in France 6 days, in Russia 5 days, and in .. the U.S. and Canada just 2 and 1 days respectively", denounced Democrat MEP Ms WOLDSETH from Norway..

"Numerous respected human rights organisations, including Liberty and Human Rights Watch, have expressed serious concern" "The proposed legislation ...could easily lead to extensive abuses. ...Detention for 42 days means six weeks in which one is taken away from one’s family, friends, home and livelihood only to be let off without being charged. That will destroy lives and isolate communities", she added.
- "3 years ago, the UK Government sought to increase the period of pre-charge detention from 14 days to 90 days. Not long before that, it had been only 7 days. There was a vigorous debate ...and a ...compromise was reached of 28 days. We have to ask whether there are proper safeguards in place to extend the period to 42 days. I suggest that there are fatal flaws", reminded British Conservative Clappison.
- "What sort of society holds someone in detention for 42 days and does not have to tell the person who is in prison why they are there, or explain the suspicions that arose and led to their detention? What sort of society believes that that is the way to treat its citizens? That is an appalling injustice, ...A 42-day detention period will not make the UK safer. Instead, it will be the first step to giving in to terrorists; it is saying that we are prepared to sacrifice our democratic rights and the principles for which we have stood for centuries", criticized British Liberal Michael Hanckock

"Comments made ...by Norwegian delegates are unfortunate", replied British Socialist MEP Ms.Curtis-Thomas, accusing them to "besmirch the reputation of our police force, which is one of the Best in the World", as she said, believing that "there are significant safeguards ...to ensure that individuals are not subjected to unlawful detention"

PACE "has serious doubts whether ...the draft legislation are in conformity with the ...case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. A lack of ..safeguards may lead to arbitrariness, resulting in breaches of ... liberty and ...right to a fair trial". PACE "is particularly concerned that: ..the judge ..may not be in a position to examine whether there exist reasonable grounds for suspecting that the arrested person has committed an offence;"; that "... representation by a lawyer may be inappropriately restricted or delayed;" that "information on the grounds for suspicion of a person ...may be unduly withheld.. ;" that this "may give rise to arrests without the intention to charge;", and; in general, that "prolonged detention without proper information on the grounds for arrest may constitute inhuman treatment", says Klaus De Vries' Report, adopted with 29 votes against zero.

Records don't say if it took him 42 Days to draft his Report, but, at least, he knew why...

















