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Internal security: EU preparedness and Zeitenwende as a basis for democracy
Dear Leaders in European Law Enforcement,
As law enforcement officers, it is not often that you think of yourselves as protectors of democracy. But you are. Your agencies lay the very foundations of our democracies. Without security and safety, there is no civic life, and our democracies are at risk – just look at the Eurobarometer data; which shows clearly the strong link between citizen’s perceptions of safety and higher voter turnout. In Sweden, where 83% of the citizens felt safe walking alone at night, election turnout was almost twice as high as in Bulgaria, where only 50% felt safe.
The good news is that we are on a good long-term trend – thanks to the daily work of Europe’s law enforcement agencies. Trust in the EU institutions, including Europol, is higher now than it has ever been before, and that is reflected in many Member States. We have built a good foundation.
Of course, we can not afford to stand still. As you say, this is a Zeitenwende. Europol’s recent Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment shows that the nature of crime is changing fast. If we are to continue to safeguard that trust and sense of safety, we must adapt.
But to do so, we need to understand: what are the drivers of this change?
As the SOCTA notes, one of the main factors is technology. Criminal networks are growing more sophisticated – some even have their own “tech departments”. For example, the LockBit ransomware gang, responsible for the 2023 Royal Mail attack,
Or the shift of Italian Mafia into cybercrimes like phishing and SIM swapping. Technology also makes it possible for online recruitment of gang members, or the radicalisation of our youth by extremists.
But technology is not the only important driver of change. The increasingly uncertain state of world affairs is also a big challenge: There is a lot of talk about hybrid threats, and with good reason. The risks of state actors leveraging criminal networks within the EU must be taken seriously.
Even beyond hybrid threats, global instability is a challenge in its own right – criminals love uncertainty, it creates opportunities for them. So we need to think ahead, for example how will changes in the middle east or Ukraine impact the security situation in the EU?
This is precisely the thinking behind our new approach to security policy in Brussels. As Commissioner for Internal Affairs, my main priority is security.
It is also one of the main priorities for the European Commission as a whole. You see this in the new Security College we have created, which brings security issues – both internal and external – to the top of our agenda.
I’m pleased to say that this priority is shared by the European Parliament and the Member States. In March, when I delivered ProtectEU, our new internal security strategy, to the European Parliament and the Council, I was impressed to see broad-based political support for our strategic agenda.
That’s good news. It means we have a clear mandate to make real progress on a whole host of issues: more resources to our agencies; security cooperation with third countries; better access to data for law enforcement, to name just a few.
But this political mandate is only one of the things we need. Perhaps more important is to have your input into, and support for, the ambitious agenda that lies ahead. As part of our strategy, we want to make engagement with the law enforcement community a standing part of our work. We need to hear from you to know how we can best help you.
For example, under ProtectEU, we are planning a substantial increase in resources for Europol and Frontex.
We are also looking at expanding the European Ports Alliance and improving ‘follow the money’, to choke off the flow of illegal drugs being trafficked into the EU. These drugs destroy lives, and they are a catalyst for a whole host of related crimes, from robbery to homicide, to the illegal sex trade.
As you know, when it comes to these kinds of policies, the difference between success and failure is all in the details. And there is no one who understands those details better than you. That is why I am looking forward to meeting some of you and discussing all these issues in person. I want to know how you see these issues, so that you can help us to shape this agenda at this critical turning point, this “Zeitenwende”.
Already, I see from the agenda that for this year’s Congress, the key themes are well represented in your panels. That is a credit to the organisers. It truly promises to be an excellent programme.
We cannot stop this Zeitenwende from happening –
But we can prepare ourselves for it, by making sure our law enforcement agencies have the rules, equipment and cooperation to do your jobs. And if we do this, we will protect our citizens. We will protect our democracies. We will protect the EU.
Thank you.
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