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 25 October 2012
On October 25, 2012, The European Institute, in cooperation with the Embassy of Belgium and the Embassy of Switzerland held a special seminar on transatlantic cooperation in stemming the spread of falsified medications. Mark Witzal, Deputy Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations presented the keynote address. Panelists in the first session: Bernard Frahi, Vice President for Corporate Economic Security at Sanofi; Ambassador Richard Kauzlarich, Deputy Director at the Terrorism, Transnational Crime & Corruption Center and Adjunct Professor at George Mason University’s School of Public Policy; and Jeffrey Gren, Director of the Office of Health and Consumer Goods at the U.S. Department of Commerce discussed the security, economic and public health risks of falsified medications. The panel was moderated by Susan Reardon, Director of International Policy, Worldwide Government Affairs and Policy at Johnson & Johnson. Panelists in the second session: John Roth, Director of the Office of Criminal Investigations at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Patrick Byrne, Europol Senior Representative and Head of Europol Delegation at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States; Chief Commissioner Patrick Stevens, Counselor and Belgian Police Liaison Officer at the Embassy of Belgium; Kelley Friedgen, Senior Corporate Counsel at Genentech and Legal Advisor to the Genentech Counterfeit Prevention and Response Task Force; and Jeannie Salo, Director for Global Anti-Counterfeiting, Office of International Government Affairs at Eli Lilly and Company examined public and private sector solutions to the fast-growing falsified medications problem. This panel was moderated by Frédéric Badey, Senior Director, International Public Affairs Coordination, Sanofi.
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Created on 08 May 2012
On May 8, The European Institute, in partnership with the European Parliament, welcomed Dr. Christian Ehler, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the United States, to a breakfast discussion on the challenges and opportunities for greater transatlantic cooperation on cybersecurity. Stressing that cybersecurity has become a priority issue on the European agenda, Dr. Ehler underlined the need to strengthen private-public partnerships to develop and implement coordinated response strategies to the escalating risks of cyber attacks. Christopher Painter, U.S. Department of State Coordinator for Cyber Issues and John Cosgrove, Deputy Cyber Exercise Lead of SRA International’s Cyber Security and Risk Analytics Division, both presented their perspectives on the future of transatlantic cooperation on this critical front and echoed Dr. Ehler’s call for greater public-private coordination. The discussion was moderated by Andy Purdy, Chief Cybersecurity Strategist for CSC.
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Created on 21 March 2012
On March 21, 2012, The European Institute, in cooperation with the European Parliament's Liaison Office to the U.S. Congress, hosted a delegation from the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) led by Vice-President Alexander Alvaro. Vice-President Alvaro and a panel including Danny Weitzner, Deputy Chief Technology Office for Internet Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Marc Rotenberg, Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center; and Christopher Soghoian, an Open Society Foundations Fellow discussed the implications of new data protection and privacy initiatives in both the EU and U.S. and assessed the impact of these initiatives, their dividing lines and the prospects for moving towards more closely aligned privacy policies between the European Union and the United States. The discussion was moderated by Alan Raul, Partner at Sidley Austin LLP.
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Created on 13 April 2011
On April 13, 2011, a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) including The Honorable Stavros Lambrinidis, Vice President of The European Parliament, Vice-Chairwoman Sophie in ’t Veld and The Honorable Jan Philipp Albrecht, MEP, Germany, Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance discussed the challenges and opportunities for greater cooperation among the U.S. and EU on data protection issues, passenger name records and the SWIFT agreement. Additional panelists included moderator The Honorable David D. Aufhauser, Partner, Williams & Connolly LLP; Mary Ellen Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS); Nancy Libin, Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ); Abraham Newman, Assistant Professor, Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University; and Blas Nuñez-Neto, Professional Staff Member, United States Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
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Created on 30 June 2010
On June 30, 2010, The European Institute held a meeting with leading members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, key officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Congress, and select experts to discuss the prospects for the Passenger Name Record Agreement (PNR), which is currently under review by the European Parliament. Having already flexed its post-Lisbon Treaty muscle on SWIFT, the European Parliament is giving very careful consideration to PNR, out of concern that security requisites not trump the fundamental privacy, data protection and freedom of movement rights assured the European Union’s 500 million citizens. While participants were optimistic about prospects for continued transatlantic cooperation and mutual respect, several committee members expressed concern that U.S. policy still reflects a disproportionate response to the terrorist concerns of the last decade. While no final decision by the Parliament is expected until this fall at the earliest, participants agreed that sustained discussion is vital if both sides hope to reach a fair agreement that takes both civil security and core privacy considerations into account.
