The European Commission is reporting on the progress made towards an effective and genuine Security Union, calling on the European Parliament and the Council to finalise their work on priority security initiatives as a matter of urgency.
To maintain the positive momentum set by the EU Leaders at the informal meeting in Salzburg today’s report outlines the security initiatives that will be decisive for the completion of the Security Union before the upcoming European Parliament elections in May 2019. In this way, the report is a contribution to the discussions on internal security during the European Council on 18-19 October.
Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “The security of our citizens is and should remain a priority for the EU every single day. Strengthening our external borders, improving information exchange, and protecting our citizens online as well as on the ground – there is no time to waste in building a genuine and effective Security Union in Europe.”
Commissioner for the Security Union Julian King said: “From chemical weapons being used on our streets to state-sponsored cyberattacks, Europe is under threat like never before, and Europeans are looking to us to act. Now is the time to ramp up our efforts to finish our work on the Security Union. On terrorism, cyber and cyber-enabled threats, where the online and the real world collide, and on tackling organised crime we are stronger when we act together. Time is short: the EU institutions and our Member States need to take responsibility for driving delivery and implementation of this vital work.”
