This week, Brussels was put on lockdown amid the search for the Paris attackers. Everyone wants to know how a group of men - jihadists who were known to Belgian police - were able to plot the deadly Paris attacks, stock weapons and cross borders without anyone raising the alarm. Are state institutions there failing? We speak to Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian Prime Minister and the current leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament.
Verhofstadt strongly denies that Belgium is to blame for failing to prevent the Paris attacks. "What we see is not a lack of one or another country, it’s a lack of cooperation and coordination between the different member states of the European Union and between the different security services and intelligence services of the European Union", he told FRANCE 24’s Eve Irvine.
The former Belgian premier calls for the European PNR (Passenger Name Record) to be adopted and for better intelligence-sharing. "Security is more important than sovereignty", says, addressing individual EU member states.
A programme presented by Eve Irvine
Produced by Isabelle Romero and Jean-Christophe Felt
Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
