The European Commission received the EU Council's approval to start talks with eight neighboring states, including Turkey, Egypt and Israel, on exchanging information to counteract terrorism and fight transnational crime, the commission’s press service said on Tuesday.
"The negotiating mandates approved by the Council will allow the Commission to start talks with eight countries on behalf of the EU - Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey - on the exchange of information, including personal data, with Europol," the press release read.
According to Dimitris Avramopoulos, the commissioner for migration and home affairs, the European Union needs to work closely with its neighbors and partners to bolster global resilience to terrorism and organized crime.
The proposal came as one of the deliverables of the October’s anti-terrorism package, presented by the commission, which outlined the EU measures on ensuring an effective response to terrorism and security threats. The commission proposed steps on protecting public spaces, depriving terrorists of financial support and reinforcing the EU external action on counterterrorism by enhancing Europol’s cooperation with third countries.
