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News Releases
Franco Frattini
No. 06/06
January 24, 2006
EU COMMISSION CALLS ON MEMBERS TO COOPERATE FULLY WITH COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S CIA INVESTIGATION
Franco Frattini, Vice President of the
European Commission responsible for
Justice, Freedom and Security, today
reacted to the findings of
Council of Europe Investigator
Dick Marty’s investigation into alleged
secret detentions and asked EU Member States to
cooperate.
“I have taken note of the Rapporteur’s [Dick Marty]
serious, interim conclusion that it is highly unlikely
that European governments, or at least their
intelligence services, were unaware of rendition,” said
Vice President Frattini. “It is now for the Member
States of the Council of Europe to clarify their
position…I firmly call upon the Member States of the EU,
as well as the Candidate Countries, to cooperate fully
with the Council of Europe’s investigations as promptly
and comprehensively as possible so that the important
process of establishing the facts, in which phase we are
still now, can be completed as soon as possible.”
In presenting the findings of his interim assessment, Mr.
Marty said there was great deal of evidence pointing to
the existence of a system of "relocation" or
"outsourcing" of torture.
According to Mr. Marty, individuals have been abducted,
deprived of their liberty and transported in Europe. And
they have been handed over to countries in which they
have suffered torture. However, he also notes in his
report that at this stage of the investigation there is
no formal, irrefutable evidence of the existence of
secret CIA detention centers in Romania, Poland or any
other country.
Reacting to that Mr. Marty’s investigation will continue
with the cooperation of
Eurocontrol, Europe’s air
traffic agency, and the EU’s Satellite Center, Vice
President Frattini said: “We welcome the fact that today
indeed these data have been transmitted to Mr. Marty by
both agencies.”
The investigation stems from allegations surfacing in
November that CIA used camps in Eastern European
countries for terrorist interrogations. The Council of
Europe’s investigation coincides with a separate
investigation by The
European Parliament which set up a
temporary committee last week to investigate the matter.
The 46 Members of Parliament have been tasked with
examining whether European governments knew about these
alleged practices and if any EU citizens have been
involved. The committee is to present its findings by
June this year.
“Let the various investigations continue and its
findings analysed, once that process is completed, and
the truth has been established whatever the truth is,
the European Commission will determine its position in
this respect and make that public,” said Vice President Frattini.
For further information on this issue:
http://www.eurunion.org/newsweb/HotTopics.htm#CIA
http://www.coe.int/
http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/APFeaturesManager/defaultArtSiteView.asp?ArtId=362
Further Contact Information
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
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