A Europe that protects: EU works to build resilience and better counter #HybridThreats

The European Commission and the High Representative have proposed further steps to build on the work already carried out in response to hybrid and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats, following up on the European Council's invitation to take this work forward and report on progress after the Salisbury attack.

They also report on the implementation of the Joint Framework on countering hybrid threats. In addition, the Commission is taking stock of the progress made on key security files, including the CBRN Action Plan.

High Representative/Vice President Federica Mogherini said: "In times of new challenges around the world, we are reinforcing our work within the European Union to counter hybrid threats – be it in the field of cyber, on disinformation or counter intelligence. Together with our member states and partners, such as NATO, we are working to strengthen our capabilities to address these challenges and build up our resilience to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-related risks, to effectively protect our citizens."

Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "Security has been our priority since day one – but we need to do more to deny hostile foreign actors and terrorists the means and the space to act. Today, we are further accelerating our efforts to their access to life-threatening chemical substances – building a more resilient Europe, fully equipped to face complex and dynamic security threats."

Security Union Commmissioner Julian King said: "The Salisbury attack was a stark reminder that the threat posed by chemical, biological radiological and nuclear risks is very real. Today, we are following up our CBRN Action Plan from last year to be better prepared for such threats as well as other hybrid threats, which can cause serious harm and spread instability. We need to be especially vigilant in view of upcoming elections."

The Commission has also presented the Security Union progress report, an EU Action Plan to improve the security of rail passengers and a Report of the High-Level Expert Group on Radicalization. A press release and factsheets on hybrid threats and the Security Union are available online.

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