 |
 |
European Parliament Security Breach Revealed
January 16, 2003 12:00 AM
A new security threat to the European Parliament in Strasbourg was revealed today when Lib Dem MEP Sarah Ludford exposed a total lack of security checks on access to the building's underground car park.
The Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman in the European Parliament had raised her concerns with the authorities, only to be told that they are fully aware of the breach but face heavy costs and bureaucratic difficulties to secure the car park.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, Sarah Ludford said:
"I find this situation incredible. It is clear that, at a time when security measures should be as tight as possible on a building that is clearly an alluring terrorist target, anyone and everyone can gain access to this area unchecked."
"The responses I have received from the authorities so far have been wholly inadequate. They say that because of the contract on the building, which is owned by the French government, there is a legal problem to get authorisation to modify it. It is absurd that all this money is being spent on a grandiose building which is only a few years old and yet we have this massive breach of security."
"Like most MEPs I regard having to go to Strasbourg at the will of the national government when we have a perfectly good building in Brussels as a wasteful travelling circus."
Alerted to the breach by Sarah Ludford, a BBC journalist even managed to enter the area and leave a bag unattended in the car park without passing through any form of security check.
Conservative British MEP Richard Balfe is the individual responsible for overseeing security issues in the European Parliament. When quizzed by the BBC he responded that if no checks had been made, the journalist must have "basically looked fairly trustworthy".
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats