European Security Agenda

The European Security Agenda, passed in April 2015, sets out the measures necessary to ensure an efficient European Union response to terrorist and security threats from 2015 to 2020.

The Agenda is a vital part of the renewed internal security strategy. It provides support to the member states in the fight against terrorism and the prevention of radicalisation, impeding organised crime and the fight against cybercrime.

The main measures put into place since the Agenda was passed are:

Terrorism

Europol’s European Centre against Terrorism (ECTC) was launched in January 2016. The aim is to enhance support for member states in the fight against terrorism and radicalisation, facilitating coordination and cooperation between national authorities.

Borders

Thanks to the Commission’s awareness-raising policy, current member states make full use of the Schengen information system. Throughout 2015, the Commission has introduced legal and technical improvements to this System.

FRONTEX has produced a manual which includes an initial set of common risk indicators in relation to foreign terrorists in order to help border authorities.

Radicalisation

In October 2015, the Commission launched The RAN Network Centre of Excellence, with the idea of facilitating and improving the process of exchanging experiences and improving cooperation with the RAN network, of backing up preventive measures and of consolidating, informing of and sharing knowledge, better practice and specific research in the field of preventing radicalisation.

Financing terrorism

A programme bringing together financial information services (FIU) of the states has been set up to detect and impede terrorist financial and laundering activities.

Firearms

In 2015, the Commission proposed a complete review of the 477/91 directive, which sets out the legal framework applicable to firearms. The review aims to restrict the availability of some of the most destructive semiautomatic firearms and those which can easily be converted into completely automatic weapons, and also to improve the information exchange procedure between member states, traceability and setting out norms applicable to firearms. The Commission then implemented a Regulation applicable to common norms concerning deactivating firearms in November 2015.

In 2015 the Commission presented an action plan concerning firearms and explosives which includes: (i) measures concerning the use of detection-related technology and normalising its use; (ii) the development of innovative tools of detection; (iii) tightening existing measures and the creation of new ones to improve the safety standards of travellers, and (iv) the use of existing tools to enhance the gathering and exchange of information and thereby improve security standards.

For more information on the European Security Agenda in these links:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-1445_en.htm i http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-16-1495_en.htm.

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