EU leaders agree on further actions to combat terrorism

European Union (EU) leaders agreed on further actions to fight terrorism here on Friday in a statement following the two-day summit.

"The Paris terrorist attacks on Nov. 13, 2015 have only strengthened our resolve to continue our uncompromising fight against terrorism and to make full use of all the tools at our disposal," said the statement.

This also included "close cooperation with key partners such as the United States," according to the statement.

Moreover, the EU said it would urgently strengthen counter-terrorism engagement with partners in North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, and the Western Balkans.

In particular, the recent terrorist attacks demonstrated the pressing need to enhance relevant information sharing, said the leaders.

They commended the agreement between the co-legislators on the proposal for a directive on the use of passenger name record (PNR) data, as this "paves the way for its rapid adoption and implementation, which will constitute a crucial step in the fight against terrorism."

The leaders also agreed on deeper cooperation between security services of member states, as well as systematic and coordinated checks at external borders.

Besides, "the Council will rapidly examine the Commission proposals on combating terrorism and on firearms, in particular, on high-powered semi-automatic weapons," said the statement.

Investigations into terrorist finance and tracking electronic evidence in cooperation with the Internet industry are also part of the EU priorities, agreed the leaders. Endit