Hezbollah missing from EU terror list, says Jana Hybášková MEP

Hezbollah is on the UK and Dutch lists of terrorist organisations and not on the EU's

"At present, one of the biggest threats to security in Europe is terrorism. Since the 1980s, more than 90 European citizens have been killed in terror attacks committed by the terrorist organisation Hezbollah. Experts on terrorism say that Europe is at risk of a terrorist attack and I wonder why Hezbollah is only on the UK and Dutch lists of terrorist organisations and not on the EU's", said Jana Hybášková MEP at a press conference following the panel discussion with experts on the terrorist threats in Europe.

"I co-sponsored a Written Declaration within the European Parliament. We mobilised parliamentarians to urge the Council and Commission to act. There is clear evidence that Hezbollah is an organisation with terrorist connections and our duty is to identify that danger. The European Union is not committing itself to the prevention and protection that its citizens expect from it. Security is a new dimension of European integration and is one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century", continued Hybášková, Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Delegation for Relations with Israel.

Putting Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organisations would further disable fundraising opportunities and would freeze their financial assets located in Europe. There are approximately around 900 sleepers of Hezbollah in Germany according to some estimates. Al-Manar, Hezbollah's satellite television station, which was banned from the EU satellite network, is still spreading its terrorist propaganda to European viewers.

"Terrorism is an imminent danger for Europe and it is our duty to warn citizens about its threats. I call upon the Council and the Commission to seriously deal with these threats and with those who oppose the classification of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, jeopardising the lives of European citizens", concluded Hybášková ."

Source: EPP-ED Group (The EPP-ED Group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with 288 Members from all 27 Member States.)