EU security shake up

EUROPEAN UNION leaders meeting at the EU Summit in Brussels have sought a united stance on the issue of security, appointing a Tsar to oversee co-ordination of the fight against terrorism. Dutchman Gijs de Vries was chosen to head up security. But according to Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Junker, he will have a difficult job persuading different national agencies to share information. “We know very well that many of our secret services refuse to share intelligence,” he said. “To make the fight against terrorism more effective, we need to agree on the principle that information must be shared.” Sharing intelligence is seen as crucial if Europe is to combat its vulnerability to terrorist attack highlighted by the attacks on Madrid. EU leaders also invoked a solidarity clause that commits all EU states to come to the assistance of any member that falls victim to a terrorist attack.