COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action Plan to support the protection of public spaces
Date: 2017-10-18
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, European security, action programme, airport, area of freedom, security and justice, cross-border cooperation, fight against crime, public safety, public transport, urban area

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 18.10.2017  COM(2017) 612 final   COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action Plan to support the protection of public spaces  
 
 
I. 

INTRODUCTION 

Recent  terrorist  attacks  have  shown  a  recurrent  targeting  of  public  spaces,  exploiting  the 
intrinsic vulnerabilities of these so-called "soft targets" that result from their open nature and 
public  character.  This  concerned  pedestrian  precincts,  tourist  sites,  transport  hubs,  shopping 
malls, places of worship, outdoor markets, concert halls and city squares, as seen in attacks in, 
for example, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, London, Manchester, Nice and Stockholm. Besides 
more  complex  "high  intensity"  attacks  combining  explosives  and  firearms,  Europe  has  also 
been  hit  by  a  growing  number  of  "low  tech"  attacks  against  public  spaces  carried  out  with 
everyday items  such  as a vehicle for ramming  or  a knife for stabbing. The targets are often 
chosen with the intent to causing mass casualties. Threat assessments by Europol and the EU 
Intelligence and  Situation  Centre  (INTCEN)  confirm  this  focus  in  target  selection,  which  is 
also openly incited in terrorist publications on the internet1. 

Protecting public spaces poses particular  challenges for Member States. This is due to the 
broad  variety  of  public  places  that  have  been  or  could  be  targeted,  their  different 
characteristics  ranging  from  fully  open  spaces  to  areas  with  some  form  of  protection,  the 
variety  of  actors  involved  in  the  protection  of  such  sites,  the  risk  of  mass  casualties  and, 
importantly, the imperative to strike a balance between improving security and preserving the 
open nature of public spaces, ensuring that citizens can continue their daily lives. 

Member States are primarily responsible for the protection of public spaces, but the EU can 
and  should  do  more  to  support  these  efforts.  As  announced  in  the  letter  of  intent2  to  the 
European Parliament and the Council Presidency and the accompanying Roadmap for a More 
United, Stronger and More Democratic Union, this Action Plan sets out measures to provide 
guidance  and  support  to  Member  States  at  national,  regional  and  local  level  in  protecting 
public spaces. It is part of a wider package of anti-terrorism measures to be undertaken over 
the next sixteen months.3 While there can never be 'zero risk', these operational measures will 
support  Member  States  in  detecting  threats,  reducing  the  vulnerability  of  public  spaces, 
mitigating the consequences of a terrorist attack and improving cooperation. 

The  support  the  EU  can  provide  to  the  protection  of  public  spaces  is  twofold.  First,  it  can 
foster the exchange of best practice across borders through targeted funding (chapter II) as 
well as networks of practitioners and guidance material (chapter III),  Second, the EU can 
involve a wide range of stakeholders both from the local level and the private sector in this 
work  (chapter  IV).  Using  a  joined-up,  network  approach,  this  Action  Plan  establishes  a 
number of fora for a more systematic and structured exchange of information and sharing of 
best practice to  protect public  spaces. Where relevant, the work  on protecting public spaces 
will build on actions and lessons learned in areas such as the critical infrastructure protection 
or  the  preparedness  against  chemical,  biological,  radiological  and  nuclear  security  risks4, 
ensuing synergies between these related areas. 

1  Europol,  Changes  in  Modus  Operandi  of  IS  revisited  (2.12.2016):  https://www.europol.europa.eu/ 
newsroom/news/islamic-state-changing-terror-tactics-to-maintain-threat-in-europe  and  Terrorism  Situation 
and Trend report 2017 (15.6.2017): https://www.europol.europa.eu/tesat/2017/index.html. 
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/letter-of-intent-2017_en.pdf.  
See the Eleventh Progress Report towards an effective and genuine Security Union (COM(2017) 608 final 
of 18.10.2017). 
See the Action Plan to enhance preparedness against chemical, biological radiological and nuclear security 
risks (COM (2017) 610 final of 18.10.2017). 

2 
3 

4 

2 

 
 
                                                 
II. 

EU FUNDING FOR THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC SPACES 

EU  funding  provides  another  way  to  support  Member  States  in  the  protection  of  public 
spaces,  drawing  on  expertise  and  best  practice  in  other  Member  States  and  enhancing 
cooperation across borders. This can include, for example, measures to promote and support 
the  development  of  innovative  infrastructure  to  secure  public  spaces  without  changing  their 
open  character.  To  that  end,  the  Commission  is  stepping  up  the  availability  of  EU  funding, 
both in the short- and medium-term.  

To  address  immediate,  short-term  needs,  together  with  this  Action  Plan,  the  Commission  is 
launching today a  call for project proposals through the Internal Security  Fund (ISF) Police 
for  a  total  amount  of  EUR  18.5  million.  This  funding  will  support  transnational  projects 
improving the protection of public spaces.  

This EU funding can also supports the operational cooperation on the ground. To improve the 
cooperation between first responders in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, the EU will make 
funding  available  within  this  call  for  cooperation  projects  to  enhance  the  coordination 
between  law  enforcement,  civil  protection  and  medical  services  in  the  acute  phase  after  an 
attack. 

This short-term funding will be complemented in 2018 with funding under Urban Innovative 
Actions  (UIA)  as  part  of  the  European  Regional  Development  Fund.  Ensuring  the  physical 
resistance of buildings, the physical protection of crowded places and promoting security by 
design  can  be  eligible actions  for  funding.  This  could  include  measures  to  increase security 
and promote public safety through the design of public space, lighting and public awareness 
campaigns as part of urban regeneration measures. To explore the interest and potential ideas 
of cities to test innovative solutions for security challenges in public spaces, the Commission 
has  launched  on  15  September  2017  a  request  for  expressions  of  interest  into  the  Urban 
Innovative Actions. This will help the Commission shape the upcoming calls for proposals in 
this  area.  Building  on  that,  in  October  2018,  the  Commission  will  open  a  call  with  a  total 
budget of up to EUR 100 million under Urban Innovative Actions where security will be a 
key topic. 

It  is  important  to  increase  the  awareness  of  managing  authorities,  local  authorities  and 
beneficiaries  responsible  for  managing  these  funds  to  the  vulnerability  of  public  spaces,  as 
well  as  enhancing  knowledge  and  the  spread  of  good  practices  in  promoting  security  by 
design.  The  Commission  invites  Member  States,  cities  and  regions  to  better  integrate  the 
protection  of  public  spaces  in  European  Regional  Development  Fund  and  Cohesion  Fund 
infrastructure investments. 

Urban  planning  and  design  can  contribute  to  the  protection  of  public  spaces.  The  Pact  of 
Amsterdam agreed upon by EU Minsters responsible for Urban Matters in 2016 established 
the Urban Agenda for the EU, an integrated and coordinated approach to deal with the urban 
dimension  of  EU  and  national  policies  and  legislation5.  It  currently  has  12  priorities.  In 
October 2017, the Commission will propose the theme of security in public spaces as a new 
partnership with Member States, focussing on better knowledge, better regulation and better 

5  Urban Agenda for the EU - Pact of Amsterdam: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/themes/urban-

development/portal/.  

3 

 
                                                 
financing.  The  Commission  calls  on  Member  States  and  local  authorities  to  support  this 
initiative. 

As the threat to public spaces is evolving, we need a better understanding of trends, risks and 
possible  mitigating  measures.  This  requires  a  greater  use  of  related  research  opportunities. 
The  EU  has  so  far  funded  48  security  research  projects  related  to  the  protection  of  public 
spaces  under  the  Seventh  Framework  Programme  and  Horizon  2020  for  a  total  amount  of 
EUR  195  million6.  Many  of  these  projects  are  now  delivering  results  that  need  to  be 
disseminated and, where appropriate, followed by investments to translate them into practical 
actions. To support the take-up of research results related to the protection of public spaces, 
the  Commission  will  establish  an  exchange  between  the  Practitioners'  Forum  and  the 
European Network of Law Enforcement Technology Services (ENLETS) as well as with the 
practitioners' network under Horizon 2020. 

Further research is required to improve the capacity to detect explosives, firearms and other 
weapons  or  chemical,  biological  radiological  and  nuclear  (CBRN)  materials  being  brought 
into  public  spaces.  Research  should  also  examine  the  effectiveness  of  various  mitigation 
measures and identify strategies to reduce vulnerability and enhance the resilience of various 
potential targets. Testing plays a particular role in this respect. Efforts will be made to tailor 
research projects under Horizon 2020 to address these needs.   

Objective 

Action/Deliverable 

Deadline 

Support Member 
States' actions to 
protect public spaces 
with short-term 
funding. 

EUR 18.5 million available under the 
Internal Security Fund (ISF). 

This will include funding for cooperation 
projects to enhance the coordination between 
law enforcement, civil protection and 
medical services in the acute phase after an 
attack. 

Call for proposals 
launched October 
2017. 

Provide more 
structural funding for 
the protection of 
public spaces. 

Provide funding under Urban Innovative 
Actions (UIA) as part of the European 
Regional Development Fund. 

Call for proposals by 
October 2018. 

6 

Some  project  examples  are:  SECUR-ED  (Secured  Urban  Transportation)  –  a  demonstration  project  of 
almost  40M€  which  brought  together  major  transport  operators,  industry  and  academia  to  develop  a 
consistent  and  interoperable  package  of  technologies  and  processes  validated  through  demonstrations  to 
improve  mass  transportation  security;    DESURBS  (Designing  safer  urban  spaces)  a  3.2M€  2-year  project 
which resulted in new methodologies, databases and software tools such as a decision support system portal 
to  help  urban  planners,  designers  and  engineers  to  recognise  and  rectify  security  weaknesses  in  urban 
design; and SURVEIRON (Advance surveillance system for the protection of urban soft targets and urban 
critical infrastructure) is a 2.5M€ SME project, which provides an innovative solution for the protection of 
these spaces  and that provides those in charge of public and private security with an intelligent surveillance 
and decision making service in critical situations. A full list of FP7 and H2020 security research projects is 
available on: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/industry-for-security/index_en.htm. 

4 

 
 
                                                 
III.  NETWORKS  OF  PRACTITIONERS  AND  EU  GUIDANCE  TO  PROTECT 

PUBLIC SPACES 

Member States have different approaches to and experience in the protection of public spaces. 
The  EU  can  support  them  in  addressing  the  growing  challenges  in  the  protection  of  public 
spaces by providing fora for the exchange related expertise and best practice. This should 
take place at all relevant levels – the policy level, the law enforcement practitioners' level and 
the more operational level of specialised law enforcement units dealing with the protection of 
public spaces. As announced in the Ninth Progress Report towards an effective and genuine 
Security  Union7,  and  as  also  pointed  to  by  the  Comprehensive  Assessment  of  EU  Security 
Policy, this exchange builds on a network approach to allow for a more structured sharing of 
best  practice  to  draw  lessons  from  past  attacks,  develop  guidance  and  share  innovative 
solutions to enhance the protection of public spaces. 

At the policy level, the Commission has recently set up an EU Policy Group on Soft Target 
Protection  to  step  up  the  cooperation  and  coordination  between  Member  States.  Bringing 
together  national  policy-makers,  the  Group  will  collect,  exchange  and  disseminate  best 
practices  and  advise  the  Commission  on  further  actions  on  the  protection  of  public  spaces. 
The  Group  will  steer  the  work  in  two  work-streams:  the  Practitioners'  Forum  and  the 
Operators' Forum (see chapter IV for the latter).    

The  Practitioners'  Forum  brings  together  law  enforcement  practitioners  of  the  Member 
States  and  law  enforcement  networks  such  as  AIRPOL8,  ATLAS9,  ENLETS10  and 
RAILPOL11 to exchange expert knowledge in regard to the protection of public spaces. This 
will be complemented by a newly established High Risk Security Network which will bring 
together representatives of specialised law enforcement units responsible for the protection of 
high risk public spaces. By providing a platform for common training and joint exercises, the 
network seeks to support Member States in improving their preparedness against attacks and 
enhancing their capacity to react in case of an attack. 

As  protecting  public  spaces  is  a  global  challenge,  is  important  to  exchange  related  best 
practices  in  multilateral  fora  and  with  partner  countries  outside  the  EU.  The  Global 
Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) has addressed the protection of public spaces and developed 
a  good  practices  manuals  to  share  lessons  learned.  Stepped  up  international  cooperation  is 
needed  to  take  this  work  further,  notably  with  key  partners  such  as  the  United  States.  This 
should  include  expanding  on  established  EU-US  cooperation  areas  such  as  explosives 
detection.  

EU  cooperation  on  the  protection  of  public  spaces  can  also  add  value  through  the 
development  of  common  guidance,  testing  of  equipment,  encouraging  harmonisation  of 
standards  and  exchanging  good  practices.  Building  on  established  best  practice  in  Member 
States,  EU  guidance  material  can  address  a  wide  set  of  issues  related  to  the  protection  of 
public spaces, ranging from the physical protection of building and places, targeted guidance 
for  specific  events  (sports  and  cultural  events)  and  places  (landside  areas  at  airports)  to 

7  COM(2017) 407 final (26.7.2017). 
8  The EU-funded AIRPOL network is a coordinating body of law enforcement units at the European airports. 
9  The EU-funded ATLAS network brings together Member States' special intervention units. 
10  European Network of Law Enforcement Technology Services (see also chapter V). 
11  The  EU-funded  European  network  of  railway  police  forces  addresses  security  in  the  field  of  railway 

transport in the context of increasing internationalisation of rail transport in Europe. 

5 

 
                                                 
support  for  vulnerability  assessments  and  enhanced  detection  and  response  capacity.  EU 
guidance material can also help Member States in raising public awareness. Greater public 
awareness will help ensure that suspicious behaviour is swiftly reported. Some Member States 
have  developed  effective  awareness-raising  materials,  such  as  videos,  leaflets  and  posters. 
These best practices should be shared with other Member States. 

In  addition,  there  are  technical  solutions  that  can  help  to  make  public  spaces  more  secure 
while  preserving  their  open  and  public  nature.  "Security  by  design"  should  become  an 
essential principle from a very early stage in their development. For example, design concepts 
at the entrance of buildings can help to prevent terrorist intrusions (e.g. access control zones 
to mitigate the risk) and ensure protection of buildings' perimeter from invasion of vehicles. 
Practical research, testing and guidance need to be continued and further developed, to ensure 
an  appropriate  balance  between  maintaining  the  open  nature  of  public  areas  and  ensuring 
effective protection. Protective measures, such as barriers or detection equipment, should be 
as  discreet  as  possible  to  minimise  their  impact  on  society  and  avoid  creating  secondary 
vulnerabilities. 

The transport sector has for many years been both the target of terrorist acts, and a means to 
conduct  attacks  (e.g.  hijacked  planes  or  truck-ramming).  The  Commission  is  working  on  a 
best  practice  security  guidance  toolkit  for  the  commercial  road  transport  sector.  This  will 
focus on improving truck security by mitigating the risk of unauthorised intrusion, including 
hijacking or theft, of a truck for use in a terrorist ramming attack. The toolkit will be available 
before  the  end  of  2017  and  will  provide  guidance  for  national  road  transport  sectors.  New 
technological  solutions  need  to  be  explored,  such  as  collision  avoidance  systems,  automatic 
emergency breaking or possibilities for remote stopping of cars by law enforcement. 

The EU can provide very practical support to enhance Member States' capacities to enhance 
the  protection  of  public  spaces.  With  support  by  the  Commission,  an  EU  soft  target  site 
assessment tool has  been developed and is  being tested for the protection of public spaces, 
covering  the  vulnerability  evaluation  of  all  types  of  public  spaces.  The  Commission  stands 
ready to support Member States with voluntary on-site assessments. An electronic application 
will be developed to facilitate such vulnerability assessments. 

As  terrorist  organisations  are  continuously  trying  to  innovate  on  their  techniques  and  modi 
operandi,  the  EU  needs  to  be  equally  innovative  in  its  response,  harness  technology  and 
pool  expertise  across  the  Union  to  detect  and  mitigate  emerging  threats.  This  concerns,  for 
example, possible threats posed by unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV) that could be used by 
terrorists. On-going work on EU rules to ensure the safety and security of civil operations of 
unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) will address this threat, including measures to facilitate the 
detection of hostile unmanned aircraft vehicles. 

Objective 

Action/Deliverable 

Deadline 

Enhance cooperation 
and coordination 
among Member 
States at policy level. 

Establish an EU Policy Group on Soft 
Target Protection and a Practitioners' 
Forum with Member States' law 
enforcement practitioners and law 
enforcement networks (constitutive meetings 
in September 2017). 

Next meetings: first 
quarter 2018. 

Enhance the 

Establish a High Risk Security Network as  Constitutive meeting 

6 

 
 
cooperation between 
specialised police 
units. 

a law enforcement practitioners' network on 
the protection of high risk public spaces, 
with the objective to provide common 
training and conduct joint exercises and 
share of best practices. 

in November 2017.  

Cooperation activities 
to start in the first 
quarter 2018. 

Enhance the physical 
protection of 
buildings. 

Enhance the 
protection of 
crowded places, 
sports and cultural 
events. 

Provide guidance on enhancing the physical 
resistance of buildings. 

Fourth quarter 2018. 

Second-third quarter 
2018. 

Provide guidance material on the protection 
of crowded places, including sports and 
cultural events, based on tests with selected 
Member States.  

Develop an electronic application to 
facilitate the vulnerability assessment of all 
types of public spaces. 

Enhance landside 
security at airports. 

Provide guidance material for the protection 
of landside areas at airports with a focus on 
passenger flows. 

Third quarter 2018. 

Step up the use of 
explosive detection 
dogs. 

Provide guidance material on the use of 
explosives detection dogs in the protection 
of public spaces.  

First quarter 2018. 

IV.  

INVOLVING LOCAL ACTORS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR 

A  variety  of  actors  can  play  a  role  in  the  protection  of  public  spaces.  EU  can  foster 
cooperation with a wide range of stakeholders which is considered crucial to enhance the 
protection of public spaces. 

Public spaces such as shopping malls or concert halls are often owned or operated by private 
entities. This makes it necessary to involve them in the work on enhancing the protection of 
public  spaces.  The  Commission  will  set  up  an  Operators'  Forum  to  engage  with  these 
private  operators  and  other  relevant  stakeholders  from  the  private  sector  such  as  car  rental 
companies  etc.  This  will  facilitate  a  common  awareness  of  current  security  challenges  and 
encourage public-private security partnerships to improve protection.  

Local  and  regional  authorities  are  also  important  stakeholders  in  the  protection  of  public 
spaces.  The  Commission  will  reinforce  the  involvement  of  these  stakeholders  and  initiate  a 
dialogue  with  both  regional  and  local  authorities,  such  as  mayors  of  major  cities,  to  share 
information  and  best  practice  in  protecting  public  spaces.  As  a  follow  up  to  the  Nice 
Declaration12 of 29 September 2017, early next year the Commission will organise, together 

12  The  Declaration  of  Nice  was  adopted  at  a  conference  of  the  mayors  of  the  Euro-Mediterranean  region  in 
Nice on 29 September 2017, organised at the initiative of the Mayor of Nice, and with the participation of 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
 
with  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  a  high-level  meeting  with  the  mayors  who  signed  the 
Nice  Declaration  and  other  interested  representatives  from  local  and  regional  levels  to 
continue the exchange of best practice on the protection of public spaces. 

Objective 

Action/Deliverable 

Deadline 

Enhance public-
private cooperation 
on the protection of 
public spaces. 

Foster cooperation 
with regional and 
local authorities on 
the protection of 
public spaces.    

Set up the Operators' Forum with relevant 
private stakeholders, represented through 
their European associations, to gather 
available guidance, develop 
recommendations and share best practices. 
The group will be divided into different 
thematic areas of operation and will serve as 
a channel to communicate between public 
authorities and operators of different public 
spaces. 

Establish a dialogue with regional and local 
authorities, including mayors of European 
cities, to explore ways of community efforts 
to enhance the protection of public spaces, 
with the aim to exchange best practice, 
involve scientific knowledge and the know-
how of research organisations and the 
private sector, and facilitate funding 
opportunities.  

Constitutive meeting 
in fourth quarter 
2017. 

A first dedicated 
meeting with mayors 
of cities and other 
regional and local 
authorities in the first 
quarter 2018. 

V. 

CONCLUSIONS 

In  the  face  of  evolving  threats,  Europe  needs  to  come  together  and  join  forces  to  develop 
innovative,  sustainable  and  effective  solutions  to  enhance  the  protection  of  public  spaces. 
While  there  can  never  be  'zero  risk',  the  operational  measures,  coordinating  actions  and 
guidance set out in this Action Plan can help Member States address significant vulnerabilities 
exposed by recent terrorist attacks and make a real difference in protecting public spaces. 

The  measures  set  out  in  this  Communication  seek  to  pave  the  way  for  an  effective  EU 
cooperation in the protection of public spaces. The Commission encourages Member States to 
take advantage of the various possibilities set out in this Action Plan, including the available 
EU funding. It invites the European Parliament and the Council to endorse this Action Plan 
and actively engage in its implementation, in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders. 
The Commission will review progress on this Action Plan before the end of 2018. 

the  Commission,  to  exchange  best  practice  among  cities,  local  and  regional  levels  on  the  prevention  of 
radicalisation and the protection of public spaces. 

8