Fight against terrorism: protection of critical infrastructures

The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the own-initiative report drafted by Stavros LAMBRINIDIS (PES, EL) on protection of critical infrastructure in the framework of the fight against terrorism. (Please see the document dated 24/05/2005.) The main recommendations are as follows:

- implementation of the European Council proposal to establish an "integrated EU crisis management arrangement" as an essential element in reinforcing the links between the citizens and the EU institutions and strengthening interdependence and solidarity between the Member States;

- an integrated European strategy should particularly addresses the threat to critical infrastructure, including computer facilities, the disruption of which would have a serious impact on the health, safety, security or economic well-being of citizens;

- establishment of a European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection (EPCIP) which should be financed by the Member States and/or by the owners and operators;

- the EPCIP should be considered by the Member States’ law enforcement agencies and those responsible for national civil protection mechanisms as complementary to national planning and awareness raising;

- a European risk-analysis system should be created bearing in mind the data protection exigencies at European and national levels in cooperation with the European Data Protection Supervisor so as to ensure interoperability;

- it is necessary to create within the Commission a European early-warning system for crises to interlink the existing European, national and international specialised early-warning systems for emergencies, so that all relevant information which might require action at European level can be shared effectively through a central network (ARGUS);

- establishment of a European Civil Protection Force that would be able to monitor areas at risk of natural disasters in order to prevent the occurrence of disasters with enormous losses of human life, teams from which would intervene in events such as the recent tsunami catastrophe, wearing a common insignia so as to enhance the visibility of European solidarity.

This recommendation is part of a package of seven recommendations to the Council suggesting the next steps to be taken as part of the Action Plan against Terrorism, which is to be reviewed by the European Council at the summit on 16-17 June. (See also CNS/2004/0812, CNS/2004/0069, INI/2004/2214, INI/2005/2044, INI/2005/2065, and INI/2005/2046.)