EC Proposes New CBRN Security Policy
June 24, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
On June 24, the European Commission (EC) adopted a policy package on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) security. The core of the package is the European Union (EU) CBRN action plan.
Resulting from an extensive consultation process, the proposed package represents a consensus of all stakeholders to protect EU citizens from these types of threats.
"This CBRN package is an important and timely initiative. Terrorist groups acquiring weapons of mass destruction, including CBRN materials, is the most frightening scenario," said vice president Jacques Barrot, EC commissioner responsible for justice, freedom and security.
"Although Europe has fortunately not seen a large-scale attack using these materials, the seriousness of the potential consequences for our societies is such that we cannot be complacent. The proposed package represents the EU contribution to support the efforts of the member states in this field," Barrot added.
Why Is an EU Approach Needed?
The threat of terrorism has not disappeared and knows no borders. The latest threat assessments suggest that terrorist organizations aspire to obtain and use chemical, biological, radiological and even nuclear weapons.
Although it is not easy for these groups to obtain and use these weapons, rapidly developing technologies and the wide-spread use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials for legitimate purposes make such aspirations more and more realistic.
The main aim of the package, which consists of an EC communication, an EU CBRN action plan and an EC staff working document called "Bridging Security and Health" is to support the ongoing efforts of the EU member states in this field and to provide a framework for better coordination of and cooperation between all involved stakeholders.
What Does the EC Propose in its CBRN Package?
The core of the package is the EU CBRN action plan. The 133 measures included in the EU action plan are the result of a long consultation process with experts from national authorities of all EU member states, institutions and agencies, as well as from the private sector and the research community.
In line with these recommendations, the EC proposes a broad approach to CBRN security, ranging from prevention and detection to enhancing preparedness and response capacities. The approach focuses on:
- Prevention - Ensuring that unauthorized access to CBRN materials of concern is as difficult as possible.
- Detection - Having the capability to detect CBRN materials.
- Preparedness and response - Being able to efficiently respond to incidents involving CBRN materials and recover from them as quickly as possible.
Implementation of the CBRN Package
The measures included in the EU CBRN action plan will be predominantly implemented by existing national, EU and international structures, using a broad variety of tools.
The directorate-general for justice, freedom and security plans to allocate up to €100 million from existing financial programs to support the implementation process over the period 2010-2013; other EC funding programs - such as the Security Research Programme under the Seventh Framework Programme - will also contribute.
"The European Union is committed to ensuring that terrorist threats do not materialise. We believe that the CBRN package will contribute significantly to this commitment," Barrot said.
For more information, see the website for the European Commission Responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security.
Source: European Commission (EC).