EU: European Commission Presents Action Plan to Protect Rail Passengers from Terrorist Attacks
The European Commission has presented an Action Plan to protect rail passengers and staff in Member States from terrorist attacks and other security threats by establishing an EU Rail Passenger Security Platform. The plan includes recommendations to improve cooperation between security services and rail operators across the Union.
The security threats to rail passengers across the EU, and other areas, are constant, changeable and require the development of new and appropriate responses by governments and other stakeholders. The Commission is concerned that unilateral responses by individual Member States might be inefficient and expensive.
The platform, which will support the collaborative collection of intelligence, aims to optimise the security of cross-border rail services, co-ordinate decisions by national governments and improve the efficiency of communications by EU organisations. The highest priority for the Action Plan is enhancing the capacity of Member States and rail operators to quickly assess and prepare co-ordinated responses to security threats and incidents.
The Commission will report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Plan by 2020. The measure is part of a wider set of responses to increase security within the European Union to protect Member States against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Security has been a top priority for the Juncker Commission since it received its mandate in 2014.
