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Response to Madrid Bombings

01 March 2004

14.3.04: The German Interior Minister has called for an emergency meeting of the EU Council of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers to discuss the implications of the Madrid bombings. "We are convinced that we have to take this possible development very seriously, as it would certainly lead to a new security assessment for all of Europe," said Otto Schily. (Note: i) under the Council's rules of procedure a meeting has to be called if one Member State asks for it; ii) after 11 September 2001 a special meeting of the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Ministers was convened on 20 September 2001).

EU: Irish Presidency writes to European governments about proposed action on terrorism, 12 March 2004 (Irish Presidency website). The Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, as President in Office of the European Council, has today written to all his colleagues in the aftermath of the horrific bombings in Madrid. In addition to arranging three minutes' silence to commemorate the victims at midday Madrid time on Monday 15 March, the Taoiseach has proposed that work on the review of the EU Action Plan on Terrorism be speeded up, and that the Presidency will make proposals for further concrete actions in the coming days. The aim is to adopt the Action Plan at the European Council meeting on 25 - 26 March.

There were nine revisions up to the last published version of the EU Action Plan on Terrorism is dated 14 November 2002: Full-text - 13909/1/02 (pdf), in addition a "Comprehensive plan to combat illegal immigration" was adopted on 27 February 2002: 6621/1/02 (pdf)