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Petr Ježek
Born in Prague in 1965. A graduate of Prague’s University of Economics, Petr Ježek joined his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as a diplomat. For some ten years, he held relatively high posts related to the country’s ties with the EU, e.g. heading the Foreign Ministry’s European Integration Department and serving as Deputy State Secretary for European Affairs. He also worked as chief of staff of then Czech Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla. In 2014, Petr Ježek was elected Member of the European Parliament on the ballot of the ANO 2011 party.
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Agreement was reached between representatives of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the Directive on combatting terrorism following a trilogue meeting on Thursday November 17. The Directive will harmonise and reinforce Member States’ arsenal in fighting terrorism.
Petr Jezek, the ALDE Group’s rapporteur, who had an active role in all stages of the negotiations, said: "I am glad that the penalties for terrorist activity are being unified and that the Directive clearly defines which acts will be considered as terrorist offences. Terrorism is a real threat to the EU as a whole and the risk posed by foreign fighters affects all member states, so we need a common approach that addresses our current security challenges
Travelling to a country for terrorism purposes, inciting to commit terrorist attacks and recruiting or training a person with a view to commit a terrorist act, will now be considered as terrorist offences and criminalized as such in all EU member states.
It is known that some radicals who grew up in EU Member States and later travelled to conflict areas were involved in terrorist attacks in Europe. This new Directive should help to prevent such cases by criminalising the preparatory stages of their action. The aim is to enable the prosecution of radicalized persons before the terrorist act is committed.
The new rules will strengthen EU Member States’ investigative tools, which include the possibility to search personal property, the interception of communications, covert surveillance including electronic surveillance, etc. while ensuring compliance with human rights and data protection provisions. "I think that the Directive is well balanced and includes both respect of fundamental rights while allowing our judicial authorities to better protect EU citizens," said MEP Petr Jezek.
He added: "I'm glad that such an important Directive is now ready for the final vote in the European Parliament. I believe that thanks to all the measures introduced in this legislation, we will have the best tools at our disposal to combat terrorism."
The final vote on the Directive at the EP Plenary Session is planned for early 2017.