German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Tuesday that he hoped the European Union would have a joint policy to fight terrorism ready by December.
He told a congress in Nuremberg of his Social Democrat (SPD) party that he hoped "necessary instruments would be put together by the beginning of December for the fight against terrorism and criminality."
Schroeder did not give details in a wide-ranging speech on security policy.
He said the goal was to make "Europe into a region of law and of security and of freedom" and that joint measures in this direction were a part of the process of European integration.
Schroeder said integration in security matters would be done within the framework of NATO and "in no way against NATO."
Schroeder also spoke about political integration in Europe, making a plea for both a stronger European executive and a stronger European parliament.
On the thorny issue of national sovereignty in a unifying Europe, Schroeder said that "nations must give more jurisdiction to Europe, but Europe must also give jurisdictions back to nations."
A stronger European Commission, the executive of the EU, must be controlled by a European parliament, which itself must be made more representative of the people who elect it, he said.
Schroeder also said that it was now up to countries seeking to join the EU to carry out necessary reforms.
"The European Union has done what it can," said Schroeder, referring to structural reforms adopted by the EU to make expansion possible.
"The candidate states must be ready by 2002 ... they must make internal reforms on their own," Schroeder said -- Germany (AFP)
