Guardian [UK]: Europe-wide security net to counter terrorism

Europe-wide security net to counter terrorism

Alan Travis, home affairs editor | The Guardian | August 17, 2006

The six-point package unveiled by interior ministers in London marked a new phase of development in the EU's counter-terror plans. It demonstrated that detailed work had been going on behind the scenes on the strategy that was proposed by Britain in the wake of last year's London bombings, when the UK held the EU presidency. Critics claimed the measures accelerated the drive to building a surveillance infrastructure unparalleled in the free world.

Positive profiling

EU ministers want airlines to provide advance passenger lists for all flights inside Europe as well as in and out of Europe, including domestic routes. These will be checked against the "biometric identifier" - electronic eye scan or fingerprint - in the passenger's passport or identity card when they check in.

The provision of advance passenger data is already a requirement for airlines flying to the United States, Canada and Australia but has so far only been trialled in Britain on a small scale. Eventually, airlines would be expected to provide personal online details of all passengers as they book seats and subsequently at the check-in desk or terminal.

The new system would enable them to check names against watchlists for terror suspects and wanted criminals and to develop a "profiling system" of those worthy of further scrutiny. The EU commissioner, Franco Frattini, said yesterday that such profiling would not be based on religion or ethnic group but acknowledged there was a debate within Europe over the use of such methods. The deadline for an EU directive on the exchange and analysis of airline passenger name records is next year. Work will start as soon as agreement is reached between the EU and the US in October.

The police say a combination of operational expertise, specific intelligence and historical analysis will be used to build up pictures of suspect passengers and patterns of travel behaviour. They claim this will enable them to develop a more targeted approach, which will reduce the likelihood of innocent travellers being stopped and incorrect intelligence reports being filed. The government created the legal powers this year to require airlines to provide such advance passenger data for domestic flights as well as international ones.

So far a pilot scheme, known as Project Semaphore, has monitored the movements of 10 million passengers a year in and out of London airports on selected international flights since January 2005. Under the scheme, the security services only receive the data after the flight has left, yet they say they have used the information to detain eight terror suspects overseas.

Positive profiling can also be used to create a fast-track service through the airport checks for those who are regular flyers and have been given security clearance in advance.

The introduction of such profiling has proved controversial in America and some airlines have claimed it could add a further 40 seconds to the average 60-second check-in time. Civil liberty critics fear it is another building block in the construction of a "surveillance society".

Denying use of the web

John Reid, the home secretary, said yesterday they wanted to make the internet a hostile environment for terrorists and those who seek to radicalise young people. A new legal framework is to be developed by June next year to ensure that illegal material such as manuals or instructions for homemade explosives or bombs are removed from the internet. Websites that incite others to commit terrorist actions will be blocked.

The EU commission will also report next month on satellite channels that propagate extremism with a view to possible diplomatic steps.

Airport security checks

Ministers agreed yesterday that the enhanced hand luggage search checks in force at British airports should be adopted around Europe. Aviation experts are to meet shortly to hammer out the details of how this will work but the industry was already pointing out yesterday that it will be an expensive process. Technical assistance is also to be given to raise airport security standards in countries outside Europe.

At Heathrow, hundreds of staff are being hired to cope with new requirements, such as subjecting one in two passengers to a body search. Over the past two years, EU inspectors have criticised Dublin, Helsinki, Copenhagen and Warsaw airports for security lapses at passenger checkpoints, where staff are known to suffer fatigue and faltering concentration.

Explosives & intelligence

Research into explosives is to be intensified, with a new emphasis on liquid explosives in the wake of last week's alleged airline plot. New measures are to be taken to curb the availability of liquid explosives and detonators across Europe. Further backing is to be given to the development of Europol's weapons and explosives database.

The interior ministers again expressed the hope that national police forces would share intelligence gathered during their inquiries. This is a notoriously difficult area in which to secure cooperation. There will be a meeting of security services from across Europe this month to do further assessment work on the nature of the current threat.

Rapid reaction force

France's Nicholas Sarkozy proposed a rapid response team to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist attack, similar to contingency plans in the event of a sudden mass influx of illegal migrants. The EU is looking at detailed plans for civilian and military teams to help in this situation but no agreement has yet been reached on drawing up a database of the military assets that states are willing to make available.

Tackling radicalisation

This will include the development of the idea of a "European Islam" with training of imams at a European level in an attempt to reduce the reliance of Muslim communities on foreign imams.

There will also be a Europe-wide drive to engage with moderate and democratic Islamist organisations.