This is the monthly new report on the progress made in the construction of an effective and genuine Security Union and a study of the evolution of the two main pillars: addressing terrorism and organised crime and the resources which support them.

This report presents the conclusions which the Commission studies with the integral evaluation of Union action in the field of internal security. The assessment evaluates the relevance and effectiveness of the EU´s policies and instruments to provide support for member states in the fight against terrorism and the prevention of radicalisation, addressing organised crime and the fight against cyber crime.

Regarding the measures adopted at an EU level in the field of internal security, the assessment is based on the internal analysis of the Commission’s services, the surveys carried out with the authorities of the member states and EU agencies and an inclusive dialogue with a wide range of actors including the European Parliament, national parliaments, civil society, think tanks, academics and industry representatives.

Although the overall result is positive and confirms the acceptance and the relevance of the main instruments of the EU’s security policy, the assessments also identified the challenges and shortcomings which have an impact on effective cooperation in the Security Union. This includes the need to further develop and adjust policies and existing tools to respond to the threat as terrorism evolves, and also stresses the conclusions of the European Council of 22 to 23 June 2017, the action plan of the G20 to combat terrorism of 7 July 2017 and the declaration of the Taormina G74 Summit regarding the fight against terrorism and violent extremism of 26 May 2017.

This report also provides an update of the progress made in the implementation of priority security files, with the next steps to avoid the financing of terrorism via the trafficking of cultural assets and to improve the exchange of information with the interoperability of information systems and their full implementation.

The following are regarded to be among the main challenges for effective EU security policing:

• The incomplete implementation of some policies and instruments of the EU at a national level reduce their effectiveness. This must be reviewed.
• The complexity of some EU instruments and tools UE makes it difficult for national authorities to use them.
• Limited capacities at a national level require an increased grouping of resources and knowledge at an EU level and synergies in all political fields
• The evolution of threats calls for the EU to update its instruments and tools

The global assessment demonstrates that as regards a series of key EU policies and instruments in terms of internal security, the member states do not have their full application at a national level. Examples of this are legislation concerning organised crime or the Prüm framework for the exchange of DNA data, digital finger print data and data regarding vehicle records. The lack of a complete application of these instruments impedes their effectiveness and prevents member states from exploiting their full potential.

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