COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL First progress report towards an effective and genuine Security Union
Date: 2016-10-12
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, European security, area of freedom, security and justice, border control, cross-border cooperation, exchange of information, external border of the EU, fight against crime, information system, terrorism

EUROPEAN 
COMMISSION 

Brussels, 12.10.2016  
COM(2016) 670 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL 

First progress report towards an effective and genuine Security Union 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
I. INTRODUCTION  

Security  has  been  a  constant  theme  since  the  beginning  of  this  Commission's  mandate 
from President Juncker's Guidelines of July 2014 to the latest State of the Union address 
of  September  2016.  The  Bratislava  Declaration  and  Roadmap  of  September  2016  took 
this up by underlining the important function of the European Union as a guarantor of the 
security  of  its  people  and  called  on  the  Union  to  do  everything  necessary  to  support 
Member States in ensuring internal security and fighting terrorism.1 In the past months, 
sustained progress has been made in implementing the April 2015 European Agenda on 
Security2  and  in  paving  a  way  towards  an  effective  and  genuine  Security  Union  as 
proposed  by  the  Commission  in  its  Communication  of  April  2016.3  In  this  context, 
President  Juncker  created  a  specific  Commissioner  portfolio  for  the  Security  Union 
assisted by a cross cutting Task Force drawing on the expertise of the whole Commission 
to drive work forward and to ensure implementation.  

This  is  the  first  of  a  monthly  series  of  reports  on  the  progress  made  towards  an 
operational  and  effective  Security  Union.  The  monthly  reports  will  track  the 
implementation of the various Commission work-streams4 in the area of security and will 
identify  where  more  efforts  are  needed.  These  reports  will  be  based  around  two  broad 
pillars:  tackling  terrorism  and  organised  crime  and  the  means  that  support  them;  and 
strengthening  our  defences  and  building  resilience  against  them.  The  reports  will 
encompass the full range of policy in the area of security and will highlight action taken 
by  EU  Institutions  and  EU  Agencies  in  this  area.  In  parallel,  the  Commission  will  be 
conducting  a  comprehensive  evaluation  of  the  effectiveness  of  existing  EU  counter-
terrorism instruments.  

As  the  Commission  has  noted  previously,  in  today's  world  the  internal  security  of  one 
Member State is the internal security of all. Only by working together will we be able to 
achieve the level of collective security that our citizens demand and expect. Full respect 
of fundamental rights must be at the heart of this work, as the security of the Union can 
only  be  ensured  when  citizens  are  confident  that  their  fundamental  rights  are  fully 
respected. 

This report draws together what has been achieved since the April 2016 Communication. 
The focus of future reports will be on deliverables and will reflect the security dimension 
of the full range of Union policies, highlighting their contribution to building an effective 
and genuine Security Union.  

II.  STRENGTHENING  OUR  FIGHT  AGAINST  TERRORISM  AND 
ORGANISED CRIME, AND MEANS TO SUPPORT THEM  

a)  Legal  framework  for  combatting  terrorism  and  cutting  access  to  financing  and 
firearms  

Strengthening the fight against terrorism requires effective action to cut off the support 
that terrorists benefit from and deprive them of the means to commit attacks.  

1 The Bratislava Declaration and the Bratislava Roadmap of 16 September 2016, SN 73/16. 
2 Communication COM(2015) 185 final, of 28 April 2015 The European Agenda on Security. 
3 Communication COM(2016) 230 final, of 20 April 2016 Delivering on the European Agenda on Security 
to fight against terrorism and pave the way towards an effective and genuine Security Union.  
4 See also Communication COM(2016) 602 final, of 14 September 2016 Enhancing security in a world of 
mobility: improved information exchange in the fight against terrorism and stronger external borders. 

2 

 
 
 
                                                 
The  Commission  proposal  for  a  Directive  on  combatting  terrorism5  is  designed  to    
implement  swiftly  international  standards  and  obligations  while  making  sure  that  the 
revised criminal law framework at EU level adequately addresses emerging challenges, 
including those posed by returning foreign terrorist fighters. Providing housing, transport 
or  material  support  to  terrorists  or  public  provocation  to  commit  a  terrorist  offence  are 
also  terrorism-related  offences,  which  should  be  severely  sanctioned.  Since  September 
2016,  three  trilogue  meetings  have  taken  place  on  this  proposal  and  have  established 
common  ground  on  a  number  of  key  issues.  The  Commission  welcomes  the  shared 
objective  of  the  co-legislators  that  agreement  needs  to  be  reached  on  the  proposed 
Directive before the end of the year. 

As  regards  the  financing  of  terrorism,  as  announced  in  its  Action  Plan  on  terrorist 
financing6  of  February  2016,  the  Commission  adopted  on  5  July  2016  a  proposal  for 
targeted  amendments  to  the  Fourth  Anti-Money  Laundering  Directive.  The  changes 
proposed aim to tackle new means of terrorist financing (e.g. virtual currencies, pre-paid 
cards) and increase transparency to combat money laundering. The European Parliament 
and  the  Council  have  started  to  work  on  their  position  on  the  proposal,  and  this  work 
should  advance  swiftly  for  trilogues  to  begin  by  early  2017.  On  14  July  2016,  the 
Commission  adopted  a  list  of  third  countries  that  have  strategic  deficiencies  in  their 
regimes  on  anti-money  laundering  and  countering  terrorist  financing.7  Banks  will  now 
have  to  carry  out  additional  checks  ('enhanced  due  diligence  measures')  on  financial 
flows from these 11 countries. 

The  Commission  has  accelerated  the  implementation  of  its  Action  Plan  of  December 
2015  on  reinforcing  operational  cooperation  at  EU  level  against  the  illicit  trafficking 
and use of firearms and explosives.8 The majority of measures in the Action Plan have 
now been implemented or are underway. Work is ongoing to accelerate and intensify the 
exchange  of  information  on  firearms  at  European  as  well  as  at  international  level.  In 
addition, dialogues with countries in the Middle East and North Africa region and in the 
Western  Balkans  have  been  launched  to  improve  the  exchange  of  information  and 
operational  cooperation  in  the  fight  against  firearms  trafficking  along  these  two  key 
routes.  

On  18  November  2015,  in  the  wake  of  the  Paris  attacks,  the  Commission  adopted  an 
implementing Regulation on common minimum standards for deactivation of firearms.9 
The  implementing  Regulation  entered  into  force  on  8  April  2016  and  provides  that 
deactivated firearms are rendered irreversibly inoperable. The Committee responsible for 
implementation on deactivation of firearms met in September 2016 to assess the need for 
further revisions of the deactivation standards. The Commission also tabled a proposal to 
revise the Firearms Directive (Directive 477/91) to limit access to the most dangerous 
categories of firearms for civilian ownership.10 The Council reached a general approach 
on the Commission's proposal on 10 June 2016, and the European Parliament Committee 
for  Internal  Market  and  Consumer  Protection  voted  on  the  proposal  on  19  July  2016. 
Discussions  between  the  co-legislators  began  at  political  level  on  27  September  2016, 

5 COM(2015) 625 final. 
6 COM(2016) 50/2. 
7 C(2016) 4180 final. 
8 COM(2015) 624 final. 
9  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2015/2403  of  15  December  2015  establishing  common 
guidelines  on  deactivation  standards  and  techniques  for  ensuring  that  deactivated  firearms  are  rendered 
irreversibly inoperable.  
10  Proposal  for  a  Directive  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  amending  Council  Directive 
91/477/EEC on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons. 

3 

 
                                                 
and are now being pursued in a series of technical discussions. It is important to reach an 
agreement  before  the  end  of  the  year.  The  Commission  will  continue  to  urge  the  co-
legislators  to  maintain  the  level  of  ambition,  particularly  the  objective  to  ban  the  most 
dangerous semi-automatic firearms. 

Terrorists  have  exploited  homemade  explosives  to  carry  out  attacks  in  Europe.  The 
Commission  is  working  actively  to  reduce  access  to  precursors  that  can  be  used  to 
manufacture  homemade  explosives,  and  to  strengthen  the  detection  capabilities  of  law 
enforcement  and  other  personnel  who  secure  public  areas,  mass  transit,  and  critical 
infrastructures. This work has included the financing of a research project11 to neutralise 
the  explosive  properties  of  products  available  over  the  counter  in  hardware  stores.  The 
project led to the filing of patents to be used by industry. The Commission together with 
Member  States  need  to  look  urgently  at  how  to  roll  this  research  out  to  deny  terrorists 
access to this potential source of bomb making ingredients.  

At  the  same  time,  policy  action  against  explosives  also  needs  to  address  the  constantly 
evolving nature of the threat. In collaboration with Member States, the Commission has 
recently  identified  additional  precursor  substances  of  concern  that  should  be  subject  to 
enhanced  controls.  In  November,  the  Commission  will  adopt  three  separate  delegated 
acts  adding  these  substances  to  Annex  II  of  Regulation  on  the  marketing  and  use  of 
explosives  precursors.12  The  additions  will  require  the  reporting  of  suspicious 
transactions,  disappearances  and  thefts  involving  these  substances  to  law  enforcement 
authorities.  

In  parallel,  the  Commission  is  taking  action  to  ensure  the  full  implementation  of  this 
Regulation  by  the  Member  States.  On  29  September  2016,  the  Commission  launched 
infringement  procedures  against  Cyprus,  France,  Luxembourg  and  Spain  as  not  all 
provisions of have yet been fully implemented by these Member States. The Commission 
will report in early 2017 on the implementation of and whether further strengthening of 
European rules is required.  

b) Preventing and fighting radicalisation 

Preventing radicalisation, both at the local level and via the Internet, is a central pillar of 
the  Union's  efforts  to  counter  terrorism.  In  June  2016,  the  Commission  presented  a 
comprehensive Communication on how work at EU level can support Member States in 
preventing  radicalisation  leading  to  violent  extremism.13  EU  institutions  should 
urgently  implement  the  proposed  actions.  Since  the  adoption  of  a  Code  of  Conduct  in 
May 2016, the Commission has monitored the implementation of the commitments by IT 
companies, notably the commitment to remove illegal hate speech in less than 24 hours. 
The Commission will report to the 8 December 2016 Justice and Home Affairs Council 
on progress. Following the October 2015 High-Level Conference on the Criminal justice 
response  to  radicalisation,  and  the  20  November  2015  Council  Conclusions,  Member 
States  are  currently  submitting  proposals  in  response  to  a  call  for  projects  to  address 
radicalisation  in  prison.  In  parallel,  Member  States  and  their  local  authorities  should 
make full use of the various support measures and cooperative tools to prevent and tackle 
radicalisation,  notably  through  the  support  offered  by  the  Radicalisation  Awareness 
Network  (RAN).  In  September  2016,  the  RAN  launched  the  "Exit  Hate"  campaign  to 
provide  alternative  narratives  to  extremist  propaganda  based  on  personal  testimony. 

11 A research project financed within the "security research" priority of the 7th EU Framework Programme 
for Research. 
12 Regulation (EU) No 98/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the 

marketing and use of explosives precursors. 

13 COM(2016) 379 final. 

4 

 
                                                 
Thanks to its recent reinforcement, the RAN can now also reach out to third countries. 
The RAN organised visits to Turkey and Jordan by local youth workers and academics to 
establish a list of concrete actions that will be implemented with local communities. On 9 
November  2016,  the  Commission  will  organise  the  RAN  High  Level  Conference  on 
radicalisation,  bringing  together  national  and  local  policy-makers  and  front  line 
practitioners  to  discuss  effective  ways  to  tackle  radicalisation.  The  Commission  is  also 
preparing  the  second  high  level  meeting  of  the  EU  Internet  Forum  scheduled  for  8 
December 2016 to allow Member States, industry and civil society actors to take stock of 
progress  made  and  steer  further  work  on  preventing  online  radicalisation  and  tackling 
terrorist propaganda on the internet. The Bratislava Roadmap underlines the importance 
of EU support to Member States' actions in preventing radicalisation. 

c) Improving operational cross-border cooperation with the support of EU Agencies 

Relying  on  the  strengthened  support  provided  by  EU  Agencies,  Member  States  should 
make full use of the mechanisms in place at EU level to ensure operational cooperation 
across borders. Eurojust plays a key role; after the recent terrorist attacks in France and 
Belgium,  Eurojust  has  been  supporting  French  and  Belgian  prosecutors  by  providing 
advice and coordinating complex investigations. 

The current Policy Cycle 2013-2017, which aims at tackling the most important criminal 
threats  in  a  coherent  manner  through  cooperation  between  the  relevant  services  of  the 
Member States, EU institutions and EU Agencies as well as relevant third countries and 
organisations,  is  coming  to  an  end.  It  should  be  renewed  and  strengthened  given  its 
positive  impact  on  increased  cooperation  between  law  enforcement  authorities  across 
borders.  For  example,  law  enforcement  authorities  from  Member  States  and  partner 
countries have arrested suspects found in possession of airline tickets bought using stolen 
or fake credit card details. Many of these suspects were also found to be involved in other 
forms of crime, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, cybercrime and terrorism. 
Serious and organised cross-border crime is constantly looking for new opportunities, be 
that through exploiting would-be migrants through human trafficking or the illicit trade 
in wildlife and other environmental crime. Our response also needs to evolve. 

launched 

In  order  to  remain  effective  in  the  fight  against  terrorism  and  organised  crime,  the  EU 
must be ready to adapt to the new trends in criminality and the increased use of cyber-
means  to  commit  crime.  The  European  Cybercrime  Centre  at  Europol  already  supports 
cross-sector  and  cross-border  cooperation  against  cybercrime.  In  July  2016,  the 
European Cybercrime Centre together with the Dutch National Police, Intel Security and 
Kaspersky  Lab 
the  "NoMoreRansom"  campaign.  This  public  private 
partnership  aims  to  combat  ransomware,  a  type  of  malware  that  infects  computers  by 
encrypting files that are only decrypted after a ransom is paid. So far, they have helped 
2.400 users to decrypt their files without paying a ransom. Given the increased relevance 
of  electronic  evidence  for  criminal  investigations,  the  Commission  is  improving  the 
efficiency  of  current  mechanisms  to  obtain  cross-border  access  to  electronic  evidence 
such  as  Mutual  Legal  Assistance.  In  line  with  the  June  2016  Justice  and  Home  Affairs 
Council Conclusions, the Commission has launched an expert consultation on a common 
EU  approach  on  the  use  of  investigative  measures  on  the  internet.  Three  expert  group 
meetings  took  place  between  July  and  October  2016  with  practitioners  from  law 
enforcement, academia and Internet service providers. A fourth workshop will take place 
in November 2016 to assess the feasibility of a platform solution for the transmission of 
requests  on  e-evidence.  These  expert  meetings  will  feed  into  a  mid-term  report  to  be 
delivered to the Justice and Home Affairs Council in December 2016. 

5 

 
 
III. STRENGTHENING OUR DEFENCES AND RESILIENCE 

a)  Improving information exchange 

Sharing information is central to strengthening our defences against terrorism. The first 
challenge  is  to  make  the  best  use  of  existing  tools  and  systems.  They  need  to  be  fully 
implemented and applied.  

The  Prüm  Framework  on  the  exchange  of  DNA,  fingerprints  and  national  vehicle 
registration  data  is  a  case  in  point.  It  has  been  successful  in  identifying  criminals  who 
operate across borders. However, not all Member States have yet implemented it, at the 
expense  of  the  benefits  it  can  bring  in  enhancing  security.  To  close  this  gap,  the 
Commission has initiated infringement procedures against Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Italy 
and  Portugal  for  failing  to  comply  with  the  Prüm  Decisions.14  These  are  the  first 
infringement  procedures  for  a  so-called  'former  third  pillar  instrument'  in  the  field  of 
police  cooperation  and  judicial  cooperation  in  criminal  matters.  In  parallel,  the 
Commission  continues  to  support  Member  States  in  fully  implementing  the  Prüm 
framework, and will organise a conference to share best practices in January 2017. 

Implementation of what has been agreed is also a key challenge facing the EU Passenger 
Name  Record  (PNR)  Directive.15  Following  the  cooperation  between  the  European 
Parliament,  Council  and  Commission  to  adopt  the  Directive,  progress  risks  being 
undermined by the lack of processing capacity in the majority of Member States for the 
data  collected.  Member  States  now  need  urgently  to  build  their  Passenger  Information 
Units  (PIUs).  So  far,  only  one  Member  State  (the  United  Kingdom)  has  set  up  a  fully 
functioning PIU, two more Member States (France and Hungary) should achieve this by 
the  end  of  2016,  and  others  have  projects  underway.  However,  on  the  basis  of 
information provided by Member States to the Commission, eleven Member States have 
yet  to  start  work.  The  Commission  stands  ready  to  provide  further  legal  assistance, 
expertise  and  financial  support  to  achieve  this.  The  Commission  will  present  an 
implementation plan by November 2016 with milestones that Member States will need to 
meet in order to have their PIUs up and running by the deadline for full implementation 
of  the  Directive,  namely  May  2018.  In  order  to  support  the  setting  up  of  PIUs,  the 
Commission has proposed to the budgetary authorities to provide an additional amount of 
EUR 70 million of funding for the period 2017-2020. In addition, the Commission will 
provide EUR 3.8 million to facilitate the exchange of PNR data between Member States 
and  Europol.  Following  consultations  with  Member  States  and  airline  associations,  the 
Commission  will  also  present  implementing  rules  on  data  formats  and  transmission 
protocols  for  the  transfer  of  PNR  data.  The  Commission  stands  ready  to  adopt  the 
implementing rules before the end of this year. Air carriers would then use standard data 
formats  and  transmission  protocols  established  through  this  implementing  decision 
within a year of adoption. 

EU  Agencies  play  an  important  role  in  supporting  information  exchange  between 
national  authorities,  and  this  support  should  be  stepped  up.  In  the  context  of  the  new 
legal basis of Europol that was adopted in May 201616 and will enter into force in May 
2017,  the  Agency  will  be  reinforced  with  up  to  90  extra  posts.  Further  to  that  and 

14 Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA. 
15 Directive (EU) 2016/681 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the use of 
passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist 
offences and serious crime. 
16  Regulation  (EU)  2016/794  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11  May  2016  on  the 
European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and replacing and repealing Council 
Decisions 2009/371/JHA, 2009/934/JHA, 2009/935/JHA, 2009/936/JHA and 2009/968/JHA. 

6 

 
                                                 
following the announcement in the State of the Union address 2016 to reinforce Europol, 
the  Commission  is  currently  conducting  a  thorough  needs  assessment  with  information 
provided by Europol. Based on the result of this assessment, the  Commission will take 
the  necessary  steps  to  enable  the  European  Counter-Terrorism  Centre  at  Europol  to 
provide the necessary 24/7 support to Member States. 

The  Bratislava  Roadmap  calls  for  intensified  cooperation  and  information-exchange 
among  security  services  of  the  Member  States.  This  is  in  line  with  the  Commission 
Communication of 14 September 2016 that stressed the importance of finding a practical 
solution to allow for enhanced cooperation between the law enforcement community and 
the intelligence community. The Commission invited Member States to share their best 
practices  at  national  level  in  establishing  information  exchange  structures  between  law 
enforcement authorities and national security services, and a first exchange of views took 
place  in  the  Council's  Standing  Committee  on  Operational  Cooperation  on  Internal 
Security  (COSI)  on  28  September  2016.  The  Commission  will  approach  individual 
Member States to foster this exchange.  

b) Strengthening information systems and closing information gaps 

In  addition  to  implementing  existing  systems,  there  is  a  need  to  improve  the  overall 
architecture of information in the field of security. The current arrangements for data 
management  in  the  EU  for  security  are  fragmented.  This  has  allowed  criminals  and 
terrorists  to  use  different  identities  and  escape  detection.  While  fully  respecting  data 
protection principles and in particular purpose limitation, options are being considered on 
how  to  make  best  use  of  existing  information  at  EU  level  and  improve  identity 
management.  

The Commission has set up a High Level Expert Group to address legal, technical and 
operational aspects of different options to achieve interoperability of information systems 
in the area of border management and security.17 Following a launch meeting on 20 June, 
the  High  Level  Expert  Group  met  on  20  September  with  the  participation  of  the 
Fundamental  Rights  Agency  and  the  European  Data  Protection  Supervisor.  The  Group 
discussed  possibilities  to  improve  the  way  Member  States  implement  and  use  existing 
systems,  and  in  particular  the  added  value  that  a  single  search  interface  can  bring.  The 
Group  also  discussed  the  Commission's  work  on  an  EU  Travel  and  Information 
Authorisation  System  (ETIAS),  including  its  rationale  and  objective  as  well  as  legal, 
technical  and  operational  challenges.  The  Commission  will  provide  an  update  on  these 
discussions  to  Council  (Justice  and  Home  Affairs  Council  meeting  of  13  October)  and 
the European Parliament (LIBE Committee meeting of 8 November). 

Given the security challenges and the vital importance of better information exchange in 
addressing  them,  the  work  of  the  Group  needs  to  be  accelerated.  The  Commission  will 
deliver interim findings by December 2016, with a focus on how to better implement and 
use  existing  systems  and  the  role  that  the  European  Agency  for  the  operational 
management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (EU-
LISA) can play in supporting that. Also, as announced in the State of the Union address 
and  envisaged  in  the  Bratislava  Roadmap,  the  Commission  will  present  a  legislative 
proposal to establish ETIAS by November to provide prior checks for visa-exempt third-
country nationals travelling to the Schengen area.  

17  See  Commission  Communication  COM(2016)  205  final,  of  6  April  2016  Stronger  and  Smarter 
Information Systems for Borders and Security. 

7 

 
                                                 
c) Enhancing security at the external border 

The  Commission  Communication  of  14  September  2016  was  clear  that  to  enhance 
internal  security  within  the  Union,  we  must  improve  the  management  of  the  external 
border.  The  launch  of  the  European  Border  and  Coast  Guard  on  6  October  with  a 
substantial  deployment  of  border  guards  and  technical  equipment  at  the  Bulgarian 
external  borders  is  a  milestone  in  strengthening  external  border  management.  Europol 
should further enhance its presence in the migration hotspots through the deployment of 
guest officers to allow for security checks as part of our efforts to reinforce security at the 
external border.  

Checks at the external border are a key way to detect returning foreign terrorist fighters. 
To achieve this, all persons crossing the EU's external borders must be checked against 
relevant  databases.  In  December  2015,  the  Commission  presented  a  proposal  to  amend 
the Schengen Borders Code to introduce systematic checks of EU citizens crossing the 
external  border.18  The  Council  reached  a  general  approach  at  the  Justice  and  Home 
Affairs Council of 25 February 2016 while the European Parliament's LIBE Committee 
adopted  its  Report  on  21  June  2016.  So  far  there  has  been  one  trilogue  meeting  on  13 
July  2016  and  a  number  of  technical  meetings,  but  there  is  no  agreement  yet  in  the 
European Parliament on the principle of systematic checks. Both co-legislators need now 
to  re-double  their  efforts  and  to  accelerate  the  discussions  on  this  proposal  in  order  to 
reach an agreement by the end of 2016. 
The  proposed  EU  Entry-Exit-System  tabled  by  the  Commission  in  April  201619  will 
further  improve  the  effectiveness  of  border  checks,  as  it  will  record  where  and  when  a 
third-country national enters or exits the EU. While technical discussions are on-going in 
both  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council,  neither  Institution  has  yet  adopted  its 
position  for  trilogues.  It  is  important  that  work  on  this  proposal  is  accelerated  and 
completed. 

d) Protecting citizens and critical infrastructures 

Terrorists  aim  to  create  fear  and  are  ready  to  cause  mass  casualties  by  striking  'soft' 
targets. There is a clear need urgently to strengthen our resilience, to protect citizens and 
infrastructures, and to reduce vulnerabilities. Through risk analysis, security research and 
systematic  cooperation  between  law  enforcement  agencies  and  the  private  sector,  the 
Union can contribute to removing vulnerabilities in the protection of both soft targets and 
critical infrastructures.  

The  Commission  is  working  closely  with  Member  States  and  industry  to  address  the 
issue of protecting critical infrastructure. An EU Insider Threat workshop was held on 
15 June 2016 to develop ideas on how industry and public authorities can develop a more 
practical  approach  and  effective  mitigation  measures  against  insider  threats.  Proposals 
for further work include establishing a working group with Member States on vetting and 
developing  an  insider  threat  toolbox  for  both  Member  States  and  industry.  On  20-21 
September,  the  Commission  organised  a  workshop  in  Brussels  on  "Challenges  and 
Lessons  learned  for  Civil  Protection  and  Emergency  Services  from  recent  terrorist 
attacks". Proposals included: delivering faster intervention by Emergency Services in the 
"red  zone"  during  an  attack  in  order  to  limit  the  casualties,  better  equipment  for 
emergency services, improved disaster victim identification and public awareness raising 
by  providing  reaction/first-aid  training  to  citizens.  In  the  coming  months,  the 

18 COM(2015) 670 final. 
19 COM(2016) 194 final, 6 April 2016. 

8 

 
                                                 
Commission  will  take  further  action  to  strengthen  transport  security,  with  a  focus  on 
rail and maritime security as well as soft target protection and land side security. 

On  7  September  2016,  the  Commission  tabled  a  proposal  to  establish  a  common  EU 
certification  system  for  all  aviation  security  screening  equipment.20  This  proposal 
aims  to simplify  and harmonise EU procedures for the certification of such equipment. 
This initiative will help the private sector by lowering certification costs for the security 
industry,  strengthening  the  competitiveness  of  the  EU  security  industry  and  improving 
aviation  security  across  Europe.  The  proposal  demonstrates  the  importance  that  the 
Commission  gives  to  the  development  of  a  competitive  EU  security  industry  that  can 
contribute to the EU's autonomy in meeting security needs. The Commission invites the 
co-legislators to start working on this proposal.   

IV. CONCLUSION 

As  this  report  shows,  concrete  progress,  including  on  operational  measures,  is  being 
made  on  the  implementation  of  the  European  Agenda  on  Security  and  towards  an 
effective  and  genuine  Security  Union.  The  complex,  cross-border  threat  requires  a 
concerted and multi-layered response. This can only be achieved through trust and joint 
work by all institutions and Member States. Terrorists do not target one Member State or 
another; they target our way of life, our openness, our future. Serious crime, especially 
cybercrime, operates in the same space and targets the weakest links in our societies. We 
need to reinforce our responses: tackling these threats; the means that support them; and 
their  causes  by  working  together  to  strengthen  our  security  and  resilience. The 
Commission will continue to drive forward work on this crucial agenda and will report 
on progress in November. 

20 COM(2016) 491 final. 

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KEY ISSUES AND EVENTS IN THE MONTHS TO COME: 

STRENGTHENING OUR FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AND ORGANISED CRIME, 
AND MEANS TO SUPPORT THEM 

a) Legal framework for combatting terrorism and cutting access to financing and firearms 

- 

- 

- 

The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  should  continue  the  intense  work  on  the 
proposal for a Directive on combatting terrorism to adopt the legislation before the end 
of the year. 
The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  should  continue  the  discussions  on  the 
proposal to revise the  Firearms Directive to reach  an agreement before the  end of the 
year. 
The  Commission  will  adopt  in  November  three  delegated  acts  on  additional  explosive 
precursors subject to enhanced controls. 

b) Preventing and fighting radicalisation 

- 

- 

Member  States  should  make  full  use  of  the  support  offered  by  the  Radicalisation 
Awareness Network (RAN). 
The Commission will organise on 9 November 2016 the RAN High Level Conference 
on radicalisation. 

STRENGTHENING OUR DEFENCES AND RESILIENCE 

a)  Improving information exchange 

- 

- 

- 

Member  States  should  urgently  take  the  necessary  steps  to  build  their  Passenger 
Information Units (PIUs) to ensure that they are able to implement fully the EU PNR 
Directive by May 2018 at the latest. 
The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  should  take  the  necessary  steps  to  provide 
additional funding for the implementation of the EU PNR Directive. 
The Commission will support the implementation of the EU PNR Directive and present 
an implementation plan by November 2016 with concrete milestones to gauge progress. 

b) Strengthening information systems and closing information gaps 

- 

- 

The Commission will provide an update to the European Parliament and the Council on 
the  on-going  work  of  the  High  Level  Expert  Group  on  Information  Systems  and 
Interoperability with a view to accelerating on-going work. 
The  Commission  will  table  a  proposal  to  establish  an  EU  Travel  and  Information 
Authorisation System (ETIAS) by November 2016. 

c) Enhancing security at the external border 

- 

- 

The  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  should  accelerate  the  discussions  on  the 
proposal to amend the Schengen Borders  Code in  order to reach an agreement by the 
end of 2016. 
Europol  should  further  enhance  its  presence  in  the  migration  hotspots  through  the 
deployment of guest officers. 

d) Protecting citizens and critical infrastructures 

- 

Member  States  should  implement  best  practices  on  insider  threat  and  lessons  learned 
from recent terrorist attacks for civil protection and emergency services. 

10