European Union Appoints First Anti-Terrorism Official

Brussels - European Union leaders have appointed a former Dutch government official, born in New York, as the EU's first official to enhance continental defense following the deadly Madrid train bombings. Gijs de Vries will coordinate the work of the EU's foreign affairs and interior ministries, similar to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which was established in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The leaders are also exploring ways to streamline information sharing on threats from groups. However, they refrained from establishing a European intelligence agency modeled after the CIA, as proposed by Austria. Mr. de Vries, a former deputy interior minister in the Netherlands, holds citizenship in both the U.S. and the Netherlands and will begin his role on Monday. He will report to Javier Solana, the EU's foreign and security policy chief. Mr. Solana stated, 'He has a good track record for this position.' 'What is important is coordination. All internal and domestic aspects of terrorism must be linked to external and international dimensions.' The appointment of Mr. de Vries is part of a series of emergency measures implemented by EU leaders in the wake of the Madrid bombings. Other measures include: - Improving cooperation between police and intelligence services - Implementing laws on EU arrest warrants - Increasing border controls and tracking phone records - More rapid action on terrorist financing - Establishing an intelligence database of terror suspects. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said, 'The threat of terrorism poses a threat to our security, democracy, and way of life in the EU. We will do everything in our power to protect our people from this threat.' Mr. Ahern chaired a meeting of leaders and prime ministers from 25 countries who gathered in a somber atmosphere for a session held nearly 24 hours after the burial of 190 victims in Madrid, accompanied by grieving families. A sense of urgency for unity following the bombings prompted EU countries to set aside their differences, which were previously more significant than the response to terrorism. Discussions on the first EU constitution, which had come to a sudden halt three months earlier, are expected to resume.