For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, along with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, participated in the 2016 G6 Meeting of Interior Ministers in Rome, Italy from October 20-21, 2016. The ministerial included Interior Minister counterparts from the six largest European Union countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom) and provided an opportunity to discuss the current security situation in Europe, migration flows, border security, and cybersecurity, as well as increased cooperation among the countries on these issues.
Hosted by Minister of the Interior of the Italian Republic Angelino Alfano, the ministerial included plenary sessions focused on migration, terrorism, and cybersecurity. Secretary Johnson emphasized the importance of homeland security and intelligence cooperation between the G6 countries and the United States and reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to share information with our intelligence and homeland security partners to enhance our collective security.
He underscored the importance of refugee screening and emphasized the vigorous process in which refugees are screened before arriving in the United States. Secretary Johnson also highlighted the importance of continuing to devote more resources toward efforts to counter violent extremism, with a particular focus on local community-led programs.
Secretary Johnson also participated in bilateral meetings on the margins of the ministerial with Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière, and UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd. In these meetings, he encouraged the swift implementation of the EU Passenger Name Records Directive. He also emphasized U.S. willingness to expand bilateral information sharing programs, particularly related to screening of migrants, and discussed opportunities for continued cooperation on cybersecurity and sharing of cybersecurity best practices.
During their meeting, Minister Alfano and Secretary Johnson signed a statement of intent prioritizing the prevention and combatting of serious crime and terrorism through additional information sharing, including the use of automatic systems to query biometric data through the Secure Real Time Platform.
Secretary Johnson stands with the participants of the G6+1, held this past week in Rome, Italy. (DHS Photo/Barry Bahler)
Secretary Johnson shakes hands with Italian Interior Minister Alfano. (DHS Photo/Barry Bahler)
###