Council Recommendation of 6 December 2001 setting a common scale for assessing threats to public figures visiting the European Union
Date: 2001-12-06
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, European Union, exchange of information, official visit, terrorism

14.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 356/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION

of 6 December 2001

setting a common scale for assessing threats to public figures visiting the European Union

(2001/C 356/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union,

Having regard to the need to improve cooperation between
Member States in the field of the prevention of terrorism,

Having regard to the proliferation of movements of official
public figures from the Member States or from non-Union
States within the territory of the Union,

Whereas these events lead to the putting in place of static and
dynamic protective measures which must be equal to the task
of providing a reasonable, serious assessment of
the likely
terrorist threat to these public figures;

Whereas the exchange of information between the Member
States’ police and security services on the assessment of the
level of such threat by the services responsible for that task
should be facilitated;

Whereas the assessment applies to the country visited, it being
understood that the assessment of the country of residence of
official public figures will be taken into account,

HEREBY RECOMMENDS that the Member States:

the assessment of

1. step up the volume and quality of

the exchange of
information of
to
official public figures visiting the countries of the Union,
without creating new institutional structures and in the
framework of the relevant national legislation. This consul-
tation may, at the request of a Member State, take place
particularly during the period preceding such visits;

the terrorist

threat

3. adopt the simple, practical evaluation scale set out in the
Annex hereto, based on figures and/or letters which will
permit swift exchanges between national contact points.
This scale will measure the terrorist threat in so far as it
can be analysed rationally, and not the policing measures or
arrangements put
the choice of which is the
responsibility of each State. It will be used in consultations
between States, although its use in the internal activities of
the countries’ services will not be obligatory;

in place,

4. ensure the confidentiality of information forwarded in the
context of this Recommendation, with particular regard to
non-Union States whose official public figures are the
subject of an assessment. This information, which will be
used solely for the purpose of the prevention of terrorism,
must not be communicated to third countries or utilised in
judicial proceedings without the agreement of the issuing
State;

5. use the network of liaison offices to forward information
and ensure that requests and replies are forwarded rapidly
to the competent service(s);

6. participate in assessment exchanges in so far as such partici-

pation does not seriously harm national interests;

7. examine the results of this cooperation within three years of

its full introduction;

8. associate Europol with this cooperation in so far as the

latter may fall within Europol’s mandate.

Done at Brussels, 6 December 2001.

2. duly designate (a) competent service(s) to assess this threat
and to forward information in this context. This list will be
drawn up and subsequently updated by the Presidency-
in-office and forwarded to the Member States;

For the Council

The President

M. VERWILGHEN

C 356/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

14.12.2001

ANNEX

EVALUATION SCALE

1. IMMEDIATE

Specific intelligence showing that an attack on the specified VIP is imminent.

2. HIGH

Specific intelligence, or recent terrorist activity indicating that the VIP could be the high priority target of a terrorist
group.

3. SIGNIFICANT

Recent general intelligence, the political or security context of which indicates that the VIP could be a priority target
for a terrorist group.

4. MODERATE

No specific or general intelligence of a particular threat, but there is a potential threat in view of the factors linked to
the VIP or to the country he/she represents.

5. LOW

No elements giving reasonable cause to foresee a terrorist act.

The letter (cid:145)Z(cid:146) (Zulu) could be used to flag the existence of a real threat of non-life-threatening hostile acts towards the
VIP (throwing objects, jostling, etc.)