Private Security Summit

On June 12, 2008 CoESS, the Confederation of European Security Services, in collaboration with CEPS, Centre for European Policy Studies, organised a Private Security Summit entitled ‘Private Security at the Crossroad of the EU's Future'.

This high-level conference attracted some 125 participants from diverse backgrounds and brought together for the first time all representatives of the EU Institutions dealing with private security and other major stakeholders active in the field.

The morning session included an address by the Slovenian Presidency from Srecko Jarc, MSc., Director General of the Police and Security Directorate, Ministry of the Interior, as well as the interventions by Gilles de Kerchove, Counter Terrorism Coordinator, by Khoen Liem, Principal Scientific Officer, European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry (ENTR), and by Professor Dr. Marc Cools, Ghent University and Free University of Brussels. The afternoon session included an address by Sergio Carrera, Head of Justice and Home Affairs Section and Research Fellow at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). This was followed by three sector-specific workshops:

Security in all transport and transport-related sectors;
Security in need of what kind of standards and legislations: a coherent EU approach;
Sharing best practices, expertise and knowledge in the EU and beyond.

The panel discussions focused on the challenges the private security industry is currently facing including security funding, critical infrastructure protection, services in the internal market, standardisation and public private partnerships.

Please click here in order to download the official press release entitled ‘Industry calls on Europe to recognise growing role of private security and create an integrated policy framework'.

Evaluation Form

We would highly appreciate your filling out the conference evaluation form and telling us about your experiences and ideas. We will make sure to take your remarks into consideration for our next conference.

Please click here in order to download the evaluation form. Please send it to the CoESS General Secretariat for follow-up via e-mail: apeg-bvbo@i-b-s.be, via fax: +32 2 460 14 31 or via ordinary mail: Koningin Fabiolalaan 25, B-1780 Wemmel, Belgium. Thank you in advance!

Attendees

Please click here in order to download the attendees list of the Private Security Summit.

Speaker and panellist biographies

Please click here in order to download the speaker and panellist biographies.

Please click here in order to download the opinion piece, written by Professor Dr. Marc Cools, Ghent University and Free University of Brussels, entitled ‘Private Security at the Crossroad of the European Union's Future'.

Speaker presentations and speeches

Opening and welcome address by Marc Pissens, President of CoESS, on behalf of CoESS
Address by Slovenian Presidency – Srecko Jarc, MSc., Director General of the Police and Security Directorate, Ministry of the Interior
Address by Gilles de Kerchove, Counter Terrorism Coordinator
Address by by Khoen Liem, Principal Scientific Officer, European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry (ENTR)
Address by Professor Dr. Marc Cools, Ghent University and Free University of Brussels
Introduction of the afternoon session – Sergio Carrera, Head of Justice and Home Affairs Section and Research Fellow, CEPS
Closing address by Marc Pissens, President of CoESS, on behalf of CoESS

Picture Material

Programme

Please click here in order to download the full programme of this one-day conference.

CoESS Fact Sheet

Please click here in order to download a detailed fact sheet on CoESS, the Confederation of European Security Services.

For further information regarding CoESS' activities, we kindly refer you to CoESS' Activities Report 2006-2007 where you will find ample information on CoESS' working programme and working committees.

CEPS

Founded in Brussels in 1983, the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) is among the most experienced and authoritative think tanks operating in the European Union today. CEPS serves as a leading forum for debate on EU affairs, but its most distinguishing feature lies in its strong in-house research capacity, complemented by an extensive network of partner institutes throughout the world.