Spain raises more support for victims of cross-border terrorism in the EU

BRUSSELS, March 10 (EUROPA PRESS) -

Spain will take advantage of the semester that it will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union, starting next July, to promote measures that "improve the situation and care" for victims of terrorism who suffer an attack when they are in a different Member State to his residence.

This was announced by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, during his participation this Friday in Brussels in an act held by the European Commission to commemorate the European Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Terrorism, which was set on March 11 by the anniversary of the 2004 attacks in Madrid.

The event was also attended by the Commissioner for the Interior, Ylva Johansson, victims of attacks that have occurred in different countries of the European Union in recent years, and the coordinator of the EU's fight against terrorism, Illka ​​Salmi.

At the headquarters of the Community Executive, the attendees observed a minute of silence, placed messages of recognition in an olive tree and listened to the testimonies of victims from Madrid (2004), Oslo (2011), Strasbourg (2018) and Vienna (2020).

During her speech, Grande-Marlaska advocated having action protocols adapted to European victims who do not reside in the country where they suffered the attack to "guarantee assistance, support, protection and financial compensation to cross-border victims and to your families".

With this objective, the minister has already indicated that a seminar will be held on September 25, under the Spanish presidency of the EU, to advance the reflection and identify "concrete and specific proposals" that can later be raised to the debate at the level of ministers of The EU.

He also highlighted the participation of Spain in the consortium that will put out to tender the future European Center of Advice for Victims of Terrorism, as a sign of Spain's commitment to the protection of victims. "We are the only Member State that has been directly involved in this project," she stressed.

The minister also stressed the importance of reparation for the victims of terrorism through the recovery and preservation of their memory, for which reason he urged States to safeguard the memory of the victims of terrorism "as an act of justice and at the same time an instrument for the social delegitimization of violence".