IIEAIn his address to the IIEA, Gilles de Kerchove discussed the achievements to date and the challenges that lie ahead as Europe continues to grapple with a significant terrorist threat.
Security & Defence Past Events
Following the publication of the paper “Ireland and the EU: Defending Our Common European Home”, Brian Hayes MEP presented the view of Fine Gael MEPs on Irish defence policy. Dr Barbara Kunz presented the European context.
This seminar focused on what needs to be done to increase the number of women in the armed forces. The speakers focused on how a higher female ratio can strengthen the armed forces and will explore the issue of diversity.
Director General Astola shed light on the interlinks between data protection and security as complementary objectives which the EU must uphold.
Prof Dr Peter Neumann and Rajan Basra launched a new report that is part of a Europe-wide project, the first of its kind to systematically explore the new links between organised crime, illicit trade and terrorism in Europe.
Assistant Secretary Jeanette Manfra discussed the strategy that the Department of Homeland Security is implementing to address national cyber security incidents in the United States, to protect critical infrastructure and to ensure the US government’s ability to deliver key services and functions to US citizens.
In his speech, Marc Giacomini focused on the role of the European External Action Service in mitigating challenges of migration and asylum and discussed how the European Union needs to work with its African partners to prevent both push and pull factors for migrants.
Almost 900 000 children (both unaccompanied and with their families) applied for asylum in the European Union between 2014 and 2016. This increase compared to earlier years poses challenges and has exacerbated existing protection gaps. The European Commission Coordinator for the Rights of the Child provided an overview of the situation and progress made to date, taking account of urgent actions recently agreed on by the Commission and recommendations to EU Member States. She also focused on some of the upcoming challenges.
Use of the Internet, particularly social media, by violent extremists, terrorists and their supporters is a source of anxiety for policymakers and publics. In her address, Dr Conway detailed the development of IS’s online strategy from 2014 to the present, with a particular focus on online-offline connections and the ‘social’ aspects of social media. She also examined the contemporary disruption of social media companies by IS’s online activity and its effectiveness.
Mr Carreira outlined how EASO is playing a key role in the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and is committed to translating the core values of the CEAS - equity and fairness - into practice and to ensure that all Member States deal with individual asylum cases in a coherent way. Mr Carreira analysed the evolving role of EASO, explaining why and how the Agency should represent a key pillar in the development and implementation of the Common European Asylum system. He focused on EASO operations in the hotspots and the future role of the Agency.
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