The Counter-Terrorism Commission, put in place following the Paris attacks, has completed its work

The Counter-Terrorism Commission, put in place following the Paris attacks, has completed its work

The Counter-Terrorism Commission has completed its work, announced its president, Koen Metsu (N-VA) to both The Standaard and Belga. Put in place at the end of November 2015, following the Paris attacks, this temporary commission has approved draft laws which have implemented governmental counter-terrorism measures.

Extension of specific methods of research, nocturnal searches, end of prepaid cards, etc. The commission has drawn up text after text, but not dealt with all the propositions, which had been submitted to it, especially on the financing of terrorism, or on the fusion of Brussels police zones, a subject that is not directly tied to the fight against terrorism.

The work was not pursued smoothly, however, nor was it without delay. The commission’s mission was to go beyond the majority/opposition divide. The objective was only partially met with the issue of the police custody length extension, which implied the revision of the Constitution, and thus made it necessary to reach a two-thirds majority. The project of extending this detention to 72 hours in cases of terrorism never reached sufficient consensus.

The setting-up of the commission of inquiry, headed by Patrick Dewael (Open Vld) following the attacks of 22 March 2016 and its extension by a follow-up commission completed the giving of a back seat to the Counter-Terrorism Commission.


The Brussels Times


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