Launched in 2002, The European Institute’s Transatlantic Roundtable on Cooperation in Homeland Security, examines the opportunities and challenges for Europeans and Americans to strengthen cooperation and generate innovative new policies to improve the protection of infrastructure, resources, and citizenry from the threat of international terrorism. This project has been instrumental in bringing together U.S. administration officials, representatives from the U.S. Congress, leaders in European governments and the European Union, corporate representatives, and policy experts to exchange views on these critical issues.
Although the United States and Europe stand together on many common threats, greater transatlantic cooperation is required in the war against terrorism. In today’s increasingly challenging environment, non-state actors pose a broad range of threats that cut across myriad sectors and undermine the free flow of people, goods and services that is at the heart of the transatlantic relationship. The urgency of comprehensive and mutually beneficial civil security is a priority in both Europe and the United States, and cooperative policies and engagement have direct implications for both continents. The European Institute’s program promotes sustained dialogue between representatives of government agencies and industry to facilitate multinational initiatives, improve levels of exchange between the public and private sectors, and generate new public/private partnerships.
Recent Meetings:
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Created on 05 May 2015
On May 5, 2015, The European Institute, in cooperation with the French Ministry of Interior, convened a workshop on the evolution of terrorist financing with leading experts in the field, including The Honorable Jean-Louis Bruguière, former High Representative of the European EU to the U.S. for the Fight against Financing of Terrorism within the framework of “Terrorism Finance Tracking Program/SWIFT”; Ismael Nevares, Jr., Narcotics and Counterterrorism Director at the IRS’s Criminal Investigations unit; Jean-Baptiste Carpentier, Director of TRACFIN at the French Ministry of Finance, and Jean Denis Pesme, Manager of the Financial Market Integrity team and Coordinator of the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative at the World Bank.
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Created on 18 March 2015
On March 18, 2015, The European Institute, in cooperation with the European Parliament Liaison Office with the U.S. Congress, held a discussion on data protection and privacy with The Honorable Jan Philipp Albrecht, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and Rapporteur for the Data Protection Regulation and the Umbrella Agreement and The Honorable Cameron Kerry, Senior Counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and former General Counsel and Acting Secretary of the U..S Department of Commerce. Mr. Albrecht underlined that expectations on data privacy in the EU and U.S. are the same, but the main difference lies in their respective legal approaches. Mr. Albrecht encouraged a more active participation from the U.S. Congress on the issue of transatlantic data exchange, especially pertaining to data of suspects and “risky persons.” Mr. Kerry highlighted the need for the EU and U.S. to focus on common ground to move forward on the EU-U.S. Data Protection Umbrella Agreement and Safe Harbor provisions, as security and civil liberties are embedded in both the values of the EU and the U.S.
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Created on 29 October 2013
On October 29, 2013, The European Institute in cooperation with the European Parliament Liaison Office with the U.S. Congress convened a breakfast discussion with The Honorable Jan Philipp Albrecht, Rapporteur for the EU Regulation on Data Protection on the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs (LIBE) and Commissioner Julie Brill, U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner. The meeting focused on the implications of recently revealed NSA data collection and the surveillance of EU citizens for transatlantic cyber-security cooperation. Particular attention was paid to the sustainability of the Safe Harbor Agreement, the impact of the EU’s Regulation on Data Protection, which recently passed through the LIBE Committee, as well as the potential effects of the revelations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership initiative. The discussion was moderated by Jim Halpert, Partner at DLA Piper.
Click here to read Commissioner Brill's remarks.
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Created on 05 April 2013
On April 5, 2013, The European Institute hosted a discussion with Viviane Reding, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights, and Citizenship. Vice President Reding outlined the “ambitious and controversial” goal of a “United States of Europe” in which a federal political system would be of full measure with Europe’s global economic clout. Key would be the popular election of the European Commission President and the establishment of a bicameral legislature with one house representing E.U. member states and the second representing the people. Jacqueline Grapin, Founder and co-chair of the Board of Directors of The European Institute, offered opening remarks, noting that there was no one better to “address the institutional coordination and democratization” of the EU than Vice President Reding.
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Created on 05 March 2013
On March 5, 2013, The European Institute, in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy and the Delegation of the European Union, organized a discussion with Dr. Patrick Gallagher, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce and Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Giuseppe Abbamonte, Head of the Trust and Security Unit at DG CONNECT of European Commission, on transatlantic cooperation on cybersecurity. Luca Franchetti Pardo, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Italy, offered welcoming remarks and stressed the importance that Italy and the EU attach to cybersecurity. As the EU continues to pursue a Digital Single Market, cyber-threats have become an urgent matter to be addressed. Both Dr. Gallagher and Mr. Abbamonte emphasized the importance of cybersecurity, the measures being taken to enhance it in the U.S. and the EU, and recognized the shared values as imperative for increased European-American cooperation in this field.
