EU 
Crystal
balls: internal security authorities want "technology foresight"
11.2.13
The European Union is to call
for the creation of an "internal security technology foresight
function" that would ensure "proactive involvement"
by law enforcement authorities with "research institutes
and industry", and spread "innovative ideas and projects"
amongst EU Member States and agencies such as Europol and Frontex.
This "foresight function"
is intended to strengthen the work of the European Network of
Law Enforcement Technology Services (ENLETS). Last year Statewatch
revealed the existence of an ENLETS "wish-list" drawn
up by representatives of Member States' police forces, which
included the need for research and pilot projects on drones,
surveillance equipment, devices to remotely stop vehicles, and
non-lethal weapons. [1]
The network claims to
be "active in joint initiatives, sharing information and
networking between law enforcement agencies, industry and research
organisations," [2] but a discussion paper put to the Standing
Committee on operational cooperation on internal security (COSI)
in November said that its "current functioning and results
so far… are not yet satisfactory." [3]
The Irish Presidency's
draft conclusions on "strengthening the internal security
authorities' involvement in security-related research and industrial
policy" - which were discussed at COSI's meeting last Wednesday
- seek to remedy this situation, calling for Member States to
"increase their support to the ENLETS" which "if
properly supported could become a leading European platform"
for "bridging the gap between the users and providers of
law enforcement technologies." [4]
Last year Member States'
delegates to ENLETS declared the network's "mission"
- to "support front line policing and the fight against
serious and organised crime by gathering user requirements, scanning
and raising awareness of new technology and best practices, benchmarking
and giving advice."
To support this mission,
the draft document presents delegates with a choice of two options.
With the first option, at least five Member States could "dedicate
the necessary resources to support the foresight function,"
in which case it would "replace the ENLETS Core Group,"
currently made up of Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece,
the Netherlands, Poland and the UK.
The second option would
see the Commission set up the foresight function either "within
its services" or within the Joint Research Centre, the Commission's
"in-house science service." [5] If this were to happen,
Member States would "second experts to the foresight function."
Whichever option is chosen,
it seems that COSI will get its wish of an institutionalised
"contact point" that would act as a link between "internal
security authorities" - police, immigration, and customs
- and those industries which seek to supply them with new technology.
The new body would, for example, be given the task of developing
"an EU overview of the internal security authorities' needs,"
which would then be passed onto "the research institutes
and industry."
JHA agencies - in particular
Frontex and Europol - are also invited "to participate in
the activities of the foresight function." The "realisations
by Frontex in the field of research and development, notably
in the framework of the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR)
project" are singled out for praise in the preamble to the
draft conclusions.
The development of EUROSUR
- a vast, highly-controversial border surveillance system -has
been driven by "close collaboration between Frontex, the
Commission and the Member States." [6] Technological preparations
and "substantial public expenditure" [7] were ongoing
for five years before legislation was drafted and discussions
began between the European Parliament and the Council. [8]
Member States are invited
by the draft conclusions to join ENLETS and devote more resources
to the network, and to "intensify the co-operation between
public authorities and the private sector." The Commission
should "consider the organisation of a regular conference
between the law enforcement community, the Commission Services
and the technology suppliers."
The document also calls
on the Commission "to enhance the use of the 'pre commercial
procurement' instrument and to devote the necessary security
research budget to this instrument."
In July, the Commission
issued a document on "Security Industrial Policy",
outlining its plans for "an innovative and competitive security
industry" to be driven by action at the EU level. The paper
argues that "the main challenge the European security industry
faces today is the highly fragmented nature of the EU security
market," which has "several negative consequences both
for the supply and the demand side." [9]
By "bridging the
gap" between the security industry and state authorities,
it seems that the "technology foresight function" will
play a part in addressing the perceived problem of "fragmentation."
In doing so, it may run up against criticism about the human
rights and civil liberties issued raised by security technologies.
The Commission's July paper notes that "another problem
[for industry] is the uncertainty associated to the societal
acceptance of security technologies." [10]
The draft conclusions
note that the Commission's paper seeks to "better [integrate]
the societal dimension," but the committee make no direct
reference to issues such as privacy. However, they do note "the
importance of using modern and adequate technologies in the field
of internal security."
Given the interest amongst
some Member States' police forces in drones, improved open source
intelligence (OSINT) gathering capabilities, devices for remotely
stopping vehicles, and non-lethal weapons (amongst other things),
many people may question how "adequate" will be interpreted
when the "foresight function" is established.
Previous coverage
- European
police step up cooperation on technological research and development,
Statewatch News Online, November 2012
- Eric Töpfer, A
new player in Security Research: the European Network of Law
Enforcement Technology Services (ENLETS), Statewatch
Journal, vol 21 no 2, April-June 2011
Sources
[1] European
police step up cooperation on technological research and development,
Statewatch News Online, November 2012
[2] Presidency, Results
of the ENLETS meeting held on the 18-19 September 2012 in Cyprus,
9 November 2012
[3] Presidency, Security-related
research and industrial policy - issues to be discussed on user
involvement, 22 November 2012
[4] Presidency, Draft
Council Conclusions on strengthening the internal security authorities'
involvement in security-related research and industrial policy,
31 January 2013
[5] European Commission, Joint
Research Centre
[6] Frontex, Programme
of Work 2012, p.28
[7] Ben Hayes & Matthias Vermeulen, Borderline:
the New EU's new border surveillance initiatives, June
2012 , p.8
[8] Parltrack, European
Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR)
[9] European Commission, Security
Industrial Policy, 26 July 2012 p.18
[10] Ibid., p.27