For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today joined U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to host the biannual U.S.-European Union (EU) Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial to discuss ongoing and future international initiatives to protect against terrorism and transnational crime with EU Vice President for Justice, Fundamental Rights, and Citizenship Viviane Reding and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström.
“In our increasingly interconnected world, international collaboration and information sharing have never been more critical to protecting the United States from terrorism and transnational crime,” said Secretary Napolitano. “The United States is committed to working closely with our European partners to develop innovative and effective ways to ensure our mutual safety while protecting the privacy and civil liberties of all citizens.”
In today’s meeting, Secretary Napolitano commended the launch of negotiations on the U.S.-EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) agreement—reiterating her commitment to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public through information sharing, while protecting the privacy of passengers.
She also highlighted the United States and the European Union ongoing, coordinated efforts to protect vital cyber networks from attacks through the U.S.-EU Cyber Working Group—formalized by President Obama in the Nov. 20 U.S.-EU Summit Declaration—which facilitates the continued sharing of cybersecurity best practices and security standards and enhances collaboration on public-private partnerships; cyber incident management; public awareness; and combating cyber crime.
Secretary Napolitano also reiterated the United States and the European Union’s shared commitment to bolstering the security of the international aviation system, noting the key role that U.S.-EU collaboration played in the adoption of the historic Declaration on Aviation Security by the 190 countries at the International Civil Aviation Organization Triennial Assembly in October 2010, which forged a new global framework for aviation security that will better protect the entire global aviation system from evolving terrorist threats and make air travel safer and more secure than ever before.
She also underscored the extensive and ongoing collaboration between the U.S. and the EU on cargo security efforts following the thwarted terrorist plot to conceal and ship explosive devices on aircraft traveling through Europe and bound for the United States in October 2010.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
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