Sommaire: 19 September 2007, Brussels - Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), has decided to appoint as of today Mr Gilles de Kerchove as the new EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator.
In this new function, Mr Gilles de Kerchove will coordinate the work of the Council of the EU in the field of counter-terrorism, maintain an overview of all the instruments at the Union's disposal, closely monitor the implementation of the EU counter-terrorism strategy, and ensure that the Union plays an active role in the fight against terrorism.
Mr de Kerchove was, until his appointment, Director at the Council Secretariat in charge of police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters and in this capacity worked closely with Mr Gijs de Vries, the former EU counter-terrorism coordinator.
Mr Solana noted that recent events showed that we must never relax in preventing and fighting terrorism. The meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers held yesterday confirmed the need to step up the implementation of the EU counter-terrorism strategy.
Mr Solana said "I am convinced that Mr de Kerchove will bring added value to the work of the Council in this key area for the EU and its citizens".
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Gilles de KERCHOVE, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator
PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH: Brussels, 3 October 1956
NATIONALITY: Belgian
EDUCATION: Law Degree, Catholic University of Louvain (1979)
Master of Laws, Yale Law School, New Haven, USA (LLM, 1984 - Belgian American Educational Foundation Fellow)
CURRENT POSITION:
Director for Justice and Home Affairs at the EU Council Secretariat and European Law Professor Catholic University of Louvain
Professor at the Free University of Brussels
European Law Professor at the University Faculty Saint Louis (Brussels)
Lecturer at the "Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA)" (Strasbourg)
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
1999-2000 Deputy Secretary of the Convention which drafted the Charter of the fundamental rights of the European Union
1993-1995 Chef de cabinet of the deputy Prime-Minister, Minister of Justice and Minister of Economic Affairs
1989-1992 Chef de cabinet of the deputy Prime-Minister of the Federal Government, Minister of Justice and Minister of Small and Medium-sized enterprises
1979-1983 Teaching assistant, Catholic University of Louvain Law School
1985 Administrator in the European Commission (DG Competition)
1986-1988 Secretary of the Government of the Walloon Region, Chef de cabinet of the President of the Government
Mr de Kerchove has published a number of books on European law.
Background: EU Counter-terrorism
Action in the European Union in the field of counter-terrorism has intensified since 9/11, and in particular since the horrendous attacks in Madrid (2004) and London (2005).
The role of the EU in the past years has strengthened significantly. There are dozens of examples of the EU doing more now than it did two or three years ago. Information exchange in the fight against terrorism across borders has improved, our infrastructures are better protected, the European Arrest Warrant has facilitated the procedures of extradition, etc.
Several major attacks in several Member States have been prevented in the past few years because of the good work of national services and also because of good international cooperation.
The EU Counter-terrorism strategy sets out a framework for work to prevent radicalisation and the recruitment to terrorism, to protect citizens and infrastructure, to pursue and investigate terrorists, and to improve the response to the consequences of attacks.
As the EU and its Member States are facing a long term threat, there is still a lot of work to be done, regarding for example the implementation of EU legislation, the availability of information stored in data bases, in the field of civil protection or in the field of radicalisation and recruitment.
Learn more about the EU's activities in the field of counter-terrorism:
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/counter-terrorism
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