EU Patriot Act would help boost security, Italian minister says

THE European Union should consider a Us-style Patriot Act to enhance anti-terrorism efforts, Italy’s foreign minister said yesterday.

His call came following deadly attacks in Vienna and Nice.

In a statement issued on social media, Luigi Di Maio argued that both the EU and Italy must take action to raise their security levels.

He also called for tighter controls on mosques in his country, and for action on irregular migration.

Mr Di Maio said it was time “to start to think about something bigger and that concerns the whole of the EU – a Patriot Act on the American model, for example”.

He explained: “Because today we are all children of the same European people. The security of one state equals the security of all the others.”

Mr Di Maio added that he planned to discuss the possibility of taking such action with his EU counterparts in the coming days.

The Patriot Act was introduced following Al-qaeda’s September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001, which killed 2,977 people.

It gave US law enforcement agencies sweeping counter-terrorism powers, including enhanced powers relating to surveillance.

Citing the Nice and Vienna attacks, Mr Di Maio said: “It is clear that in the face of all of this, Europe and Italy itself cannot continue with just words.”

The Italian interior ministry later said that it planned to upgrade measures aimed at tackling potential attacks, which would include intensifying border checks and monitoring potential targets.

The ministry also announced talks on a plan to combat human trafficking and irregular migration with Tunisia.

It is alleged that the Nice attacker travelled from the north African country to France via Italy.

Three people were killed in the knife attack at a church in the French city last Thursday.

‘We are all children of the same European people. The security of one state equals the security of all the others’