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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL

Fifth progress report towards an effective and genuine Security Union COM/2017/0203 final

Why a new European Agenda on Security? The EU and its Member States face several new and complex security threats, highlighting the need for further synergies and closer cooperation at all levels. Many of today's security concerns originate from instability in the EU's immediate neighbourhood and changing forms of radicalisation, violence and terrorism. Threats are becoming more varied and more international, as well as increasingly cross-border and cross-sectorial in nature. These threats require an effective and coordinated response at European level. The European Agenda on Security sets out how the Union can bring added value to support the Member States in ensuring security. The European Agenda on SecuritySearch for available translations of the preceding linkEN ••• implements the Political Guidelines of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in the area of security and replaces the previous Internal Security Strategy (2010-2014). What are the priorities of the European Agenda on Security for the next 5 years? Whilst the EU must remain vigilant to other emerging threats that also require a coordinated EU response, the Agenda prioritises terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime as interlinked areas with a strong cross-border dimension, where EU action can make a real difference. The Agenda builds on the actions undertaken in the last years, under the previous internal security strategy, thus ensuring consistent and continued action. The EU has already put in place a range of legal, practical, and support tools to underpin a European area of internal security. Now it is time to work better and more closely together. The success of the tools that the Union has put in place in recent years relies, first of all, on responsibility-sharing, mutual trust and effective cooperation between all actors involved, EU institutions and agencies, Member States and national authorities. The European Agenda on Security aims to strengthen the tools that the EU provides to national law enforcement authorities to fight terrorism and cross-border crime. In particular, the Agenda focuses on improving information exchanges and operational cooperation between law enforcement authorities. It also mobilises a number of EU instruments to support actions through training, funding and research and innovation. Finally, the Agenda sets out a number of targeted actions to be taken at EU level, to step up the fight against terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime. Tackling security threats whilst upholding European values To maximise the benefits of existing EU measures and, where necessary, deliver new and complementary actions, all actors involved have to work together based on five key principles: ◾Ensure full compliance with fundamental rights; ◾Guarantee more transparency, accountability and democratic control; ◾Ensure better application and implementation of existing EU legal instruments; ◾Provide a more joined-up inter-agency and a cross-sectorial approach; ◾Bring together all internal and external dimensions of security.