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Thu 13 Jan, 2005 02:31 pm
The US will announce shortly that it has created a new post of security attache to the European Union under the US Department of Homeland Security [official website]. The post will be based out of the US Mission to the EU in Brussels, and will strive to coordinate responses and information sharing between the EU and the US. The move comes after a series of bilateral agreements were signed between the US and EU countries to strengthen ties in fighting international terrorism. One of the first items on the agenda with the new attache will be visa-free entry to the US for EU citizens. The US has notified EU countries that their citizens will no longer receive visa-free entry to the US beginning next year, unless their national passports begin to include biometric data, such as fingerprints and retinal scans. The European Parliament has voiced strong disapproval of the plan, raising concerns over the privacy interests of European citizens.
Quote:Global security depends on joint action
By Tom Ridge
Published: January 13 2005 02:00 | Last updated: January 13 2005 02:00
The US and Europe share a common history and a common belief in freedom. We have learnt that our collective effort is a powerful weapon in any war. However, when protecting our citizens and confronting the global scourge of terrorism, our deep partnership must extend beyond the bonds of history and lineage.
Homeland security is about the integration of nations. We must build on our historic success by working together to resolve problems, share information and best practices and develop next-generation technologies that will protect us long into the future.
The first element of a strong partnership is sustained co-operation. That is why the US will establish a full-time attaché from the Department of Homeland Security to the European Union. This new position is not only symbolic of our commitment to increased co-operation; it provides a direct link between the homeland security secretary and negotiating partners across Europe, allowing for constant communication at an operational level. Working side by side with the Europeans, rather than across an ocean, the homeland security attaché will enable us to make decisions faster and ramp up security more easily.
The US and EU share a desire to improve the security of our homelands, while promoting the free flow of legitimate trade and travel and protecting civil liberties. Over the past several years, the work of concerned countries has yielded real results.
For instance, an agreement to share passenger data has allowed authorities to address security concerns before an aircraft can be used to harm passengers. That has made airline travel safer for people of all countries and protected the privacy and civil liberties of every legitimate traveller. The US also works alongside its allies at big European ports and elsewhere around the world, under the container security ini tiative to target and screen high-risk cargo throughout the supply chain. We also share information on a daily basis about a variety of threats, which helps us work together to remain ahead of our creative and determined enemy.
Of course, there is always more work to be done. Our success in the future will rely as much on developments in our partnership as it will on innovations in our programmes and technologies for homeland security.
We will test all three at Schiphol airport, where we will begin a pilot programme to speed regular, low-risk international travellers through airports and customs checkpoints. This programme is modelled on the highly successful and widely popular implementation of a voluntary registered traveller scheme in the US as well as a programme operating in the EU. In the US, frequent flyers can volunteer biometric information and complete background checks ahead of time; in return they are able to use designated lanes at the airport that speed them through security screening. Our plan is to make this programme available to more passengers at leading international airports in the near future.
Biometrics, such as those used in the registered traveller programme, are a tremendous technological tool that can accurately identify and cross-check travellers - and potential terrorists - before they enter our countries, and also provide increased travel document security and protection against identity theft. Collecting and sharing this kind of information, while protecting privacy, will be the keystone to the security systems we develop in the future. We must agree on international standards that ensure consistency and safeguard privacy now.
Biometrics is just one way that scientists are harnessing the power of advanced technologies. By combining forces, as we have with the UK in an agreement to pursue science and technology applications for critical infrastructure protection, we are speeding the arrival of new solutions to pressing security needs.
The determined partnership between the US and Europe will continue to have a tangible impact on homeland security for every nation. The way ahead is certainly full of challenges. The terrorists are constantly gaming our systems and adapting to our vulnerabilities. By joining our efforts - especially to confront the intertwined issues of biometrics and information sharing - we put our enemies on notice: we are strong, we are secure, and we stand as one.
History asks much of those who would defend freedom. And history has asked us to secure our citizens and our homelands from the dangers of terrorism. Together, we will.
The writer is US secretary of homeland security
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Thanks for the articles, Walter.
This new development may be alarming to some, but it seems like a good idea to me. I don't see how biometric data is much of an affront to privacy -- fingerprints aren't an item of information that I consider private or sensitive.
It's also time that we start becoming intelligent about security, which means using available technology.
Steppenwolf wrote: I don't see how biometric data is much of an affront to privacy -- fingerprints aren't an item of information that I consider private or sensitive.
Well, I know that most US-American think so or similar.
However, we Europeans definately have different ideas - and laws - about privacy.
Yes, I realize as much, but even if this is a "privacy issue," no country -- as far as I know -- realizes an absolute right in such information, but a right qualified by necessity and pragmatic considerations.
One might very well argue that a photograph on a passport is as private as a fingerprint. The same might be said of national origin. These are weak preferences that tend to bend before more pragmatic considerations. Such is life in the information age.
Oh, by the way, the "as far as I know" comment might simply be exposing my ignorance of EU privacy law.
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