The first part of the informal meeting of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) took place this afternoon, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security, Étienne Scheider.

The meeting commenced with a presentation from Minister Schneider of the internal security programme of the Luxembourg Presidency, citing the fight against terrorism both at home and abroad as one of the key priorities of Luxembourg.

The first working session of the informal JHA Council meeting this morning was devoted to the fight against terrorism and took place as a closed session, to which representative of the Counter-Terrorist Group (TAG) were invited for the firs time by the Luxembourg Presidency. Information was shared between these two associations, as well as the Intelligence Services of the EU Member States and Switzerland and Norway, allowing for the creation of a national network of contact points and strategic information.

Ministers were also informed of the efforts made in recent years to strengthen cooperation between security and intelligence services in the fight against terrorism and the increasingly complex challenges which these services have faced in recent years.

The second working session was devoted to talks on cyber security and cyber-terrorism. European and Luxembourgish experts addressed the subject through presentations illustrating new information technologies as both the target and the tool of cyber-terrorism. The Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Patrick KY, reportedly intervened to address the aspect of cyber security in civil aviation.

Luxembourg experts in the field of IT security proceeded to demonstrate  the vulnerability of some internet sites and computer networks. The purpose of this presentation was to highlight the importance of awareness of key actors of prevention in this area and the need for effective cooperation between the competent authorities including the CERT (Computer Emergency Response Teams).

Minister Schneider also participated in the discussion between Ministers of Immigration and Homeland Security, concerning the issue of smuggling of migrants.

 

Photo by Geoff Thompson (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security, Étienne Scheider.)