Issue #7

The area of freedom, security and justice is a shared competence of the EU and its Member States. Responsibility for internal security mainly lies with the Member States, but threats like terrorism, organized crime and cybercrime are cross-border and cross-sectoral in nature. The EU steps in to provide common policies, legislation and practical cooperation in the areas of police and judicial cooperation, border management, and crisis management. The Internal Security Fund (ISF) is one of the main financial instruments [1] supporting the EU’s objectives in combatting security challenges.

The Internal Security Fund was first set up within the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020 to support the objectives of the EU Internal Security Strategy. The ISF addresses situations resulting from newly emerging security threats or other situations that require immediate action which cannot be addressed by Member States acting alone. The ISF provided a total of €4.2 billion for the 2014-2020 financial framework and was divided into a Borders and Visa Component, aiming to facilitate legitimate travel to the EU and to achieve uniformly high level of control of the external borders, and a Police Component, directed towards the fight against crime and terrorism risk and crisis management.

This article focuses on the ISF-Police component, which supports Member States’ efforts to prevent crime and fight cross-border, serious and organised crime and terrorism. ISF-Police also funds projects aiming at strengthening the capacity of Member States and the EU for managing security-related risks and crises effectively, as well as protecting people and critical infrastructure against security-related incidents, including terrorist attacks.

Around 60% of the ISF-Police is implemented by the Member States through their national annual programmes. The rest is managed by the Commission through Union actions, which include: calls for proposals, procurement, direct awards and delegation agreements. For these actions, the Commission approves annual work programmes which define the priorities and objectives for each year, including the priorities for the Calls for Proposals.

The ISF-Police has supported a significant number of projects both managed by the Member States and by the Commission. All Member States except Denmark (and the United Kingdom) participate in the ISF-Police. Examples of beneficiaries include state and federal authorities, local public bodies, non-governmental organisations and private and public law companies. The graph below represents the outcomes achieved by the ISF-police fund by projects managed by Members States for the period 2014-2019.

A book published by the Commission’s Directorate General on Migration and Home Affairs provides examples of funded projects from each Member State. The table below summarizing these examples is a demonstration that concrete actions funded through this instrument can include a wide range of initiatives, such as setting up and running IT systems, acquisition of operational equipment, promoting and developing training schemes as well as ensuring administrative and operational coordination and cooperation.

Under the direct management of the European Commission, Union Actions support specific transnational or particularly innovative initiatives, which can be of benefit to the EU as a whole and is complementary to other funding under shared management with the Member States (see notably the snapshot about Union actions, as well as the compilation of factsheets of some projects financed under Union actions under ISF-Police). In this Protection of Public Spaces newsletter, the Commission publishes regular updates on projects funded under the Union Actions of the ISF-Police as well as news on calls for proposals related to the protection of public spaces. All calls for proposals as well as awarded projects are listed on the website of DG Migration and Home Affairs.

Evaluation of the 2014-2020 ISF-Police

The interim evaluation of the ISF-Police 2014-2020 performed in 2018, assessed positively the implementation of the fund and considered it to be on the right track of reaching its objectives. The evaluation was done according to six criteria and the table below summarized the findings by using green colour for the positive aspects of the evaluation and yellow for the points that need improvement:

The Internal Security Fund for 2021-2027

The regulation for the new Internal Security Fund covering the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework is not yet formally adopted by the EU legislator. The Multiannual Financial Framework, officially adopted on 17 December 2020, indicates that €1.9 billion will be allocated to the Internal Security Fund. The Internal Security Fund will cover only the ISF-Police component from the previous financial framework. The Borders and Visa component will be moved from the Internal Security Fund to a new Integrated Border Management Fund. With the general objective to contribute to higher security in the EU, the ISF will contribute to:

• increasing the exchange of information between Member States' competent authorities
• enhancing cross-border cooperation, including through intensifying cross-border joint operations
• strengthening Member States' capabilities to combat and prevent crime and reinforcing protection against terrorism, serious and organised crime and cybercrime

The Commission’s proposal for the new ISF addresses the shortcomings encountered in the implementation of the 2014-2020 ISF-Police. The proposal aims to ensure greater flexibility and a more targeted approach in the implementation of the funds. 60% of the Fund will support Member States programmes. The rest will be managed through a thematic facility, subject to mid-term review, allowing for shifting of funds to changing threats and priorities. The administrative and reporting requirements will be simplified in order to improve the efficiency. Specific monitoring tools will ensure more coherence and consistency with other relevant EU funds. The overall monitoring and evaluation process will become more comprehensive and results-oriented.

Follow this newsletter to receive updates on developments of ISF-Police funded projects, events, upcoming calls from proposals and evaluation results related to the protection of public spaces.

For more information on projects, please contact Unit E.1 on Funds Programming and Procedures at the Directorate-General on Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission (DG HOME) at HOME-NOTIFICATIONS-E1@ec.europa.eu

The job we propose is as a project officer who will conduct and coordinate research in the areas of security and the protection of public spaces with particular emphasis on modelling towards a holistic approach to risk assessment and risk management. The job encompasses both scientific work and project management tasks. The job holder will be expected to develop numerical models related to the protection of public spaces, to publish guidance material and technical reports, and at the same time to network with policy DGs and relevant stakeholders towards the dissemination of the research and the conceptualization of new areas of policy and research related to the protection of public spaces. It is a position that offers the opportunity to participate and shape the Commission's policies in the field in line with the EU Security Union Strategy.

The vacancy notice can be found here

General information about job opportunities for research fellows at the European Commission can be found on the EU Science Hub

In line with the new Counter-Terrorism Agenda for the EU, the EU Action Plan to Support the Protection of Public Spaces and the staff working document on Good Practices to Support the Protection of Public Spaces the European Commission supports national, regional and urban authorities and operators of public spaces in the exchange of good practices and lessons learnt, the creation of networks and in the cooperation among them across the EU. Building up on the success of last year’s event, the European Commission is organizing the second EU Digital Autumn School which will offer specialized workshops on a broad spectrum of topics related to the protection of public spaces.

Objectives:

• Disseminate scientifically based knowledge for the better protection of public spaces across the EU
• Provide detailed information and guidance for a comprehensive approach to protect public spaces – from evaluation of risk to calculation and selection of mitigation solutions
• Provide information on freely accessible resources to serve security operators, practitioners and researchers
• Provide information on funding opportunities and other initiatives at EU level
• Stimulate sharing of knowledge and experience among security operators, authorities, urban planners, scientists, and policy-makers and create networks

Venue: online via Zoom, details will be shared closer to the date of the event

Application: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EUDigitalAutmnSchool2021

Audience: Public authorities and private operators involved in the protection of public spaces, across different sectors including, but not limited to, urban security, law enforcement, public transport, mass events, hospitality, places of worship, or commerce.

Language: English

Programme: The school will provide five training days. Each day consists of a 2 h morning session as an introductory theoretical part starting 10:00. The afternoon session (14:30) is intended to highlight practical details by presenting case studies, hands-on exercises and in-depth discussions on the subject in consideration.

The subjects will cover risk assessment, security by design, hostile vehicle protection, protection from malicious drones, detection. The detailed programme will be announced in due time.

There is also the possibility to contribute to the sessions by presenting your experience as a case study. Feel free to contact us.

Contact: JRC-PUBLIC-SPACES@ec.europa.eu

Follow JRC’s Science Hub for updates in the program

Following a number of terrorist plots targeting rail, the European Commission adopted in June 2018 an Action Plan listing seven actions aiming at enhancing passenger rail security in Europe. The overall objective was to foster a risk-based approach to rail security, allowing for a prompt and proportionate response to emerging threats, while keeping rail services open and accessible.

To support the implementation of this Action Plan, the Commission also established a new Expert group – the EU Rail Security Platform – composed of the EU and EFTA states authorities competent for rail security and of interested stakeholders. Over the past two years and a half, the Platform held nine meetings and produced a number of deliverables in line with the 2018 Action Plan. This includes for instance a methodology for rail security risk-assessments and two good practices documents regarding the mitigation of insider threats on the one hand, and detection technologies adapted to railways on the other.

In February 2021, the Platform finalised the adoption of two sets of guidelines aiming to facilitate the adoption of rail security programmes and plans at national and company level. These documents are not public but access can be granted on a need-to-know basis (request: MOVE-EU-RAILSEC@ec.europa.eu).

Through these various steps, the implementation of the 2018 Action Plan is now almost complete. Moreover, the current mandate of the Platform – which had been established for an initial duration of three years – is ending in 2021. The Commission has therefore recently launched a reflection with members of the Platform on rail security at EU level beyond 2021.

The Portuguese presidency of the EU Council is holding a Seminar on 17-18 March 2021 on the vulnerabilities of public spaces and critical infrastructure in the light of emerging threats, which will seek to stimulate reflection on the ways in which these threats can be prevented and mitigated. The issue of the enhancement of police cooperation in these security areas will also be addressed.

The CT Public Spaces project is funded by the EU and is managed by the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI). It is implemented by the Spanish Guardia Civil and coordinated by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP F.S.P.).

The aim of the project is to improve security and stability in partner countries, by preventing terrorist attacks and mitigating their impact in urban public spaces. The CT Public Spaces project is working in cooperation with the public and private actors involved in the protection of public spaces and in counter-terrorism activities in partner countries. Initially the partner countries are Ghana, Kenya and Senegal. The expected results are:

• cooperation with national authorities to increase awareness and capability to protect people and goods at these sites.
• collaboration with law enforcements in partner countries to improve command and control systems, risk assessment, tactics, techniques and procedures for protection, reaction to and recovery from potential attacks.
• create opportunities for public sector cooperation with local venue operators and private security.

The first newsletter of the CT Public Spaces Protection project has been issued. You can directly register online on the CT Public Spaces website to subscribe to it. Social media accounts in facebook and twitter provide updates on the project’s activities and progress.

In the framework of the Urban Agenda for the European Union (EU) and in pursuit of the objectives set out in its Action Plan, the Security in Public Spaces Partnership is inviting you to contribute to the following surveys:

• Survey on tools and data used by local authorities – Deadline 22 March 2021

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership of the Urban Agenda is constructing a framework for a self-assessment tool on security and safety dedicated to the local authorities of the Member States. The long-term ambition is to pave the way for the creation of a joint dashboard with which urban authorities would be able to reflect on their own status, progress made or weaknesses to overcome. By indicating in what fields European urban authorities are active in, the tool could promote good practices and encourage exchanges across cities in Europe.

This survey relates to the objectives of Action 1: Developing a Framework for a Self-Assessment tool dedicated to Urban Authorities

• Survey on innovative technologies for security in public spaces – Deadline 31 March 2021

This survey on the problems / bottlenecks encountered by local authorities when using innovative technologies for security in public spaces will provide a basis for the drafting of apposition paper for the attention of EU institutions on the question of security related technologies and more specifically artificial intelligence and facial recognition. It will also be instrumental for the Partnership’s response to the EC public consultation on artificial intelligence.

This survey relates to the objectives of Action 3: Evaluate the application of Artificial Intelligence technologies.

• Survey regarding the urban planning and design approaches in EU cities and regions to improve the security in public spaces (through security by design)

The questionnaire focuses on matters of territorial development and urban planning as well as on planning security and sharing public space. The Partnership wants to collect good practices to valorise the activities of cities and regions in this domain. The collected data will be translated into a hands-on guidance leaflet, illustrated by concrete actions and projects of cities.

This survey relates to the objectives of Action 6: Develop guidance for architectural and spatial design (security by design)

For any clarifications, please contact: ua-security@ecorys.com

The project PACTESUR (Protecting Allied Cities against TErrorism by Securing Urban aReas), led by the City of Nice, France was launched in January 2019. It is funded by the Internal Security Fund-Police of the European Commission. Prepared by the European Forum for Urban Security (EFUS), the initial review of the project summarizes what has been achieved so far and the upcoming activities to be undertaken by the project.

The Security in Public Spaces Partnership of the Urban Agenda held its 7th Partnership Meeting online on 27-28 January 2021. The focus of the meeting was on the implementation of Actions, a process which has now started. The implementation phase follows the Partnership publication of its Action Plan.

Plenary Session

The meeting started with a short introduction from the Partnership co-coordinators (the European Forum for Urban Security, the city Nice and the city Madrid) who announced the agenda. One of the central questions on the table was how to develop synergies and collaborations for effective policies at the local level.

This interrogation generated fruitful discussions on the collaboration of the Partnership with relevant initiatives and programmes, notably DG Home funded projects, the UrbSecurity network funded by URBACT but also UHN Habitat safer cities programme.

Action Sessions

Following the plenary, dedicated Action Sessions were held in which Action Leaders presented their progress so far, and the outputs under preparation.

Attention was raised to a survey on AI technologies launched in December 2020 by the Partnership. It was also announced that there will be two upcoming surveys: one to measure security in the public space and the second on the approaches and challenges with security by design.

Notable intervention by external speakers included Andrea Volkmer, from DG HOME, who presented the EU’s new counter-terrorism agenda, initiatives to enhance protection of public spaces and, who highlighted the role of cities in Urban Security Policies. Paulius Kulikauskas from UN-Habitat presented ongoing and potential collaborations with the Partnership.