European Union's internal security strategy

The Council adopted conclusions on the Commission's communication on the European Union Internal Security Strategy in Action of 22 November 2010.

In its conclusions, the Council agrees that the European Security Model, as defined by the Internal Security Strategy and contributed to by the Commission's communication, should be based on a shared agenda for action, an appropriate balance between prevention and tackling the consequences of threats to security, the development of security policies based on common values and a renewed effort to establish closer links between the external and internal aspects of EU security and to promote initiatives designed to strengthen the capacity for action of third countries.

It recalls that the five strategic objectives for internal security developed by the Commission, are as follows:

1. the disruption of international criminal networks,
2. the prevention of terrorism and addressing radicalisation and recruitment,
3. raising levels of security for citizens and businesses in cyberspace,
4. strengthening security through border management,
5. increasing Europe’s resilience to crises and disasters.

The Council calls on the Commission to cooperate with the Standing Committee on Internal Security (COSI), within its mandate, with a view to ensuring that:

• the implementation of the Internal Security Strategy reflects a shared agenda for action,
• the strategic objectives for EU internal security developed by the Commission regarding the fight against serious and organised crime remain consistent with the priorities to be defined by the Council on the basis of the Organised Crime Threat Assessment report in 2011 and the Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment reports from 2013 onwards,
• funding for EU internal security, including within the framework of a potential Internal Security Fund in the next multi-annual financial framework, reflects the strategic objectives and priorities of the Internal Security Strategy, facilitates the best possible implementation of the prioritised actions by the relevant national authorities and agencies and remains sufficiently flexible to allow for adaptation to new security threats and challenges.

The Council underscores the urgency of fostering closer cooperation between actors engaged in the external and internal dimensions of EU security, notably with the newly established European External Action Service.

It invites the Member States to ensure a level of participation at COSI that reflects COSI’s mandate of facilitating cooperation on internal security.

It invites the Commission to submit to the European Parliament and the Council by the end of 2011 its first annual report on actions taken within the framework of the Internal Security Strategy, to provide regular updates on actions taken to strengthen internal security within the Union and to take account, in its annual reporting, of the reporting mechanism set out in the EU policy cycle for organised and serious international crime.