Malmström strives for balance
By Simon Taylor Swedish commissioner begins to clear her own path in bid to balance security and rights. [europeanvoice.com] Cecilia Malmström gave a polished performance in her hearing before the European Parliament, one that indicated that the commissioner-designate for home affairs will strive to remain very much her own woman in one of the […]
Parliament threatens to derail EU-US bank data deal
VALENTINA POP The European Parliament is threatening to derail an interim agreement allowing US authorities to track European bank transactions in terrorism investigations unless certain concessions are made. [euobserver.com] The president of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek at the end of last week sent a second letter to the Spanish EU presidency asking for more […]
The Spanish Presidency wants strong border controls that are well-coordinated between all countries
What are your ministry’s priorities during the Spanish Presidency of the EU? [isria.com] Specifically, at the JHA Council in Toledo I would like us to approach the phenomenon of immigration in a comprehensive manner, as it cannot be viewed from a national perspective but rather it should be seen from an overall European perspective. We […]
EU steps up aid to Haiti
By Toby Vogel EU pledges nearly €350m, diplomats will discuss military deployment. [europeanvoice.com] The EU has increased its aid to Haiti to €337 million in a bid to meet the country’s immediate and longer-term aid needs in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquake. The decision, which was taken at an emergency meeting of member […]
Social Networking Sites and the Surveillance Society
A Critical Case Study of the Usage of studiVZ, Facebook, and MySpace by Students in Salzburg in the Context of Electronic Surveillance Advertising, business, community, privacy concerns, politics, sex, love – these are issues that are associated with the term social networking platforms in popular media clippings, such as the ones just cited. The examples, […]
More on the „Death in the desert“
Rome, January 14. The agreement between Italy and Libya that stops boat people towards the Italian island of Lampedusa has a dramatic side in the Sahara south of Libya. This is shown by shocking images published on the 14th of january by the Italian weekly L’Espresso entitled "Death in the Desert". [espresso.repubblica.it] Dispersed in the […]
Proposed Web video restrictions cause outrage in Italy
Philip Willan New rules to be introduced by government decree will require people who upload videos onto the Internet to obtain authorization from the Communications Ministry similar to that required by television broadcasters, drastically reducing freedom to communicate over the Web, opposition lawmakers have warned. [thestandard.com] The decree is ostensibly an enactment of a European […]
Spain sees sharp drop in migrants from Africa
Spain says the number of migrants coming to the country by sea from Africa fell by almost half in 2009. [bbc.co.uk] Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said 7,285 such migrants arrived in Spain last year, compared with 13,425 in 2008. The number reaching the Canary Islands was the lowest in a decade, he said. Mr […]
Nigeria To Adopt Israeli Community Policing, Safe City Models
By Fayil Friday, Abuja As part of efforts to deliver on its promise to improve internal security, Nigeria will consider adopting some community policing and safe-city models of the Israeli Police in view of the obvious similarities between it and the Nigeria Police Force. [leadershipnigeria.com] The Minister of Police Affairs, Dr Ibrahim Yakubu Lame, […]
Drones the First to Arrive in Haiti
[defensetech.org] Our boy Colin Clark at DoD Buzz participated in an interview this morning with the vice commander of the Air Force’s 480th ISR wing at Langley AFB. Looks like they’re spooling up the Soviet missile snooping U-2 for some surveillance flights over Haiti. No, they’re not looking for Hugo Chavez’s secret stash of SS-3s. Instead […]
Stop-and-search powers ruled illegal by European court
Police powers to use terror laws to stop and search people without grounds for suspicion are illegal, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. [bbc.co.uk] The Strasbourg court has been hearing a case involving two people stopped near an arms fair in London in 2003.It said that Kevin Gillan and Pennie Quinton’s right to […]
Nigeria may adopt Israel’s Police models
By Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja Nigeria will consider the adoption of some community policing and safe-city models of the Israeli Police in view of the similarities between it and the Nigeria Police Force. [punchng.com] Minister of Police Affairs, Dr. Ibrahim Lame, said this when he led a delegation to meet with the Israeli Minister of Public […]
Borderpol calls for intelligence-led airline and border security
As Governments worldwide scramble to respond to the actions of so-called ‘underpants bomber’ Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, Borderpol is calling for the formation of an international border organisation. Brian Sims reports and canvasses professional opinion. By Brian Sims [info4security.com] So far, we’ve heard little in terms of response from the US and UK authorities beyond speeding […]
Data mining project benefits investigators, scares privacy experts
By Susan Taylor Martin, Times Senior Correspondent At any one time, some 750,000 pedophiles are prowling the Internet, the United Nations says. They might be lurking in chat rooms. Or swapping images of adults having sex with kids. [tampabay.com] It’s a virtual epidemic of child pornography, and to fight it, law enforcement officers from all […]
UNHCR issues recommendations to Spain’s EU Presidency
UNHCR has issued its recommendations to Spain, as it prepares to assume the EU Presidency on 1 January 2010. Taking up its six-month role shortly after adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and the EU’s Stockholm Programme, Spain will oversee the preparation of an Action Plan for the EU’s legislative and policy agenda over the next […]
Rosarno (Italy). Another pretext for new xenophobic measures
EveryOne Group: “The revolt of the immigrants exploited by the mafia risks becoming yet another pretext for new xenophobic measures” A revolt by non-EU immigrants has broken out in Rosarno (Reggio Calabria). The immigrants are exasperated and tired of being exploited by the ‚Ndrangheta (the Calabrian Mafia) which is well-rooted in the local territory and […]
COUNTERING ILLEGAL MIGRATION OF ALIENS, IN THE ATTENTION OF THE ROMANIAN BORDER POLICE
[politiadefrontiera.ro] In the first 9 months of 2009, the Romanian Border Police detected more than 304 groups of migrants, 186 traffickers and 1.274 migrants were identified – foreign citizens. Out of these, 12 groups were organized in order to commit trafficking with persons, with 34 identified traffickers and 64 victims. At the "green border", more […]
Belgium to step up security at EU summits
VALENTINA POP Belgian authorities on Wednesday (7 January) said they will step up security at EU summits after being embarrassed by Greenpeace activists who breached the system in December to stage a surprise protest. "From now on, there will be two ways in: One for heads of government and another for the rest of their […]
Deficits Hamper Space Spending
Cash-strapped member states are reluctant to increase E.U. space funding. [forbes.com] Before the Lisbon Treaty, the European Space Agency and E.U. were in effect separate organizations. The ESA had a different set of members and was prohibited from developing explicit military- or security-related programs. The E.U. is a policy-making body, the ESA the executive arm […]
Could europe do better on pooling intelligence?
[securitydefenceagenda.org] The increasing integration of European security and defence structures means that the need for intelligence pooling is greater than ever. Are current levels of cooperation between EU structures such as the Joint Situation Centre, the EU Satellite Centre, and Europol adequate, and if not, what measures could be taken to improve the situation? Considering […]