Section 2(6).

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles 29, 30(1), 31 and 34(2)(c) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas:

(1) At its extraordinary meeting on 21 September 2001, the European Council stated that terrorism was a real challenge to the world and to Europe and that the fight against terrorism would be a priority objective of the European Union.

(2) On 19 October 2001 the European Council stated that it was determined to combat terrorism in every form throughout the world and that it would continue its efforts to strengthen the coalition of the international community to combat terrorism in every shape and form, for example by increased cooperation between the operational services responsible for combating terrorism: Europol, Eurojust, the intelligence services, police forces and judicial authorities.

(3) It is essential in the fight against terrorism for the relevant services to have the fullest and most up-to-date information possible in their respective fields. The Member States' specialised national services, the judicial authorities and relevant bodies of the European Union such as Europol and Eurojust absolutely need information if they are to perform their tasks.