On Wednesday 13 September, as every year at the same period, the President of the European Commission delivered his State of the Union Address before the European Parliament, taking stock of achievements of the past year and presenting priorities for the year ahead. Unsuprisingly, given the current climate, much emphasis was put on security.
Data & Cybersecurity
Mr Juncker emphasized the role of data as a fuel to our modern economies. Consequently, he stated: "the Commission is therefore building a strong European data economy, by breaking down barriers to free movement of non-personal data while putting in place clear and fair rules on accessing and transferring data and on data liability." He further mentioned that, from May 2018, the EU will have its first common cybersecurity law in place to keep network and information systems safe. He insisted that more action is needed, this is why the EU Cybersecurity Strategy and the mandate of the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) were renewed to ensure it matches current threats. The president also put foward additional measures on cybersecurity standards, notably certification to make connected objects more secure.
EU Defence
Mr Juncker also addressed the Common Security and Defence Policy, stating that more has been achieved in the last year than in the previous 10. "We have broken new ground. The new command centre for EU military training and advisory missions is now a reality. A coordinated annual review of national defence budgets is taking shape." The president also mentioned the future European Defence Action Plan, the newly adopted European Defence Fund and a strenghtened partnership with NATO as illustrations of the will of Europeans to tackle security-threats together. Mr Juncker went even further by stating: " I want us to dedicate further efforts to defence matters. A new European Defence Fund is in the offing. As is a Permanent Structured Cooperation in the area of defence. By 2025 we need a fully-fledged European Defence Union. We need it. And NATO wants it."
Fight against terrorism
In the state of union, Mr Juncker insisted that the EU must be stronger in fighting terrorism. He notes: "In the past three years, we have made real progress. But we still lack the means to act quickly in case of cross-border terrorist threats." Consequently, Mr Juncker called for a European intelligence unit that ensures data concerning terrorists and foreign fighters are automatically shared among intelligence services and with the police.
The text is available in full here.