A Community of Users for Secure, Safe and Resilient Societies

In a world facing growing risks from man-made and natural disasters, the security of citizens, infrastructure, and assets is a high priority for the European Union.

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14th Meeting of the Community of Users on Secure, Safe, Resilient Societies

The 14th Meeting of the Community of Users on Secure, Safe, Resilient Societies will take place 16-20 September 2019.

Brussels, BAO Congress Centre (rue Félix Hap 11, 1040 Brussels)
Monday 16th September
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Information on the latest policy development

Our societies face growing threats, from natural disasters to crime and terrorism, that put our safety and security at risk.

Policy Themes

Horizontal issues

Horizontal issues are important drivers for the further consolidation of the Community of Users and are a general fixture of the CoU meetings and workshops.

Disaster Resilience and crisis management

The human, ecological and economic costs of an accident can impact the whole of society. Therefore, it is necessary to establish and apply safety and risk-reduction measures to prevent accidents and reduce their impacts. Furthermore, resilience should be enhanced in order to anticipate the effects of climate hazards (such as flooding, forest fires and drought) and geological hazards (i.e. tsunamis and seismic hazards). Moreover, rather than perceiving incidents in silos, a multi-hazard approach should be applied in order to be prepared for cascading effects.

Border security and customs

As the volume of international trade continues to expand and an increasing emphasis is placed on supply chain security and trade facilitation, the role of Customs is evolving. As an example, the use of data analysis has become as important as the use of detection technologies in dealing with existing and emerging threats. This continuous drive for more efficient and more effective customs processes calls for the integrated application of innovative information and detection technologies on the land-, see- and air borders.

Crime and terrorism

The European Commission is not in charge of operational activities in the fight against crime and terrorism but supports and facilitates the activities of security practitioners at EU level.

Food safety and security

Securing the food chains against major deliberate, accidental or natural CBRN contamination is another key concern and important security priority of the EU member states.

Societal resilience

The EU values societal resilience deeply and, therefore, aims at enhancing resilience both inside and outside the EU.

CBRNE threats

The CBRN Action Plan aims to make unauthorised access to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials as difficult as possible.

Health threats

Measures to protect human health cross many sectors and are considered in numerous EU policies and activities.

Critical infrastructure protection

The protection of critical infrastructure is key in providing security for society. This form of protection concerns critical infrastructure in various domains including electrical power, transport, water and financial infrastructures. In addition, urban soft targets are included in this scope as well.