I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

2. ESRIF’S Vision: Key Messages
The EU today faces security challenges entirely diff erent from those
at the time of its inception. These range from money laundering and
corruption to organised crime and violent terrorist acts to weapons of
mass disruption to natural disasters and pandemics.
ESRIF is unequivocal that the European Security Research and Innovation
Agenda must provide both a strategic concept and a practical process that
defi nes and updates shared priorities to meet those challenges. However,
this cannot be done in a vacuum.
Protecting the EU’s population and infrastructure must resonate
with good governance, common economic sense, and respect for
fundamental rights and Europe’s cultural values. For ESRIF, gaining a
competitive advantage and leadership position in the global security
market for Europe must refl ect European values.
2.1 Societal Security
European security is inseparable from the social, cultural and political values that distinguish European life in all its
diversity. Security research and innovation must address the long-term vulnerability of these values via European
economic, cultural, political, and technological systems.
Humans are at the core of security processes: They endure and respond to natural disasters. They perpetrate or are victimised
by organied crime, traffi cking and terrorism.
Because security is inextricably bound to a society’s daily political, economic and cultural values, technological innovation
cannot fully contribute to security unless it focuses on the human being.
Security from a social perspective has three major characteristics:
It is about people – both as the source and the object of insecurity
It is about society – in the knowledge that some threats will target people’s identity, culture, and way of life
It is about values – and which proactive and reactive measures can protect Europeans while refl ecting their values and way of life
Research and innovation in security demands a framework of legal and ethical guidelines – a "legitimacy perimeter" – to ensure social
acceptance and trust, alongside eff ective political leadership and communication. These will open markets for trusted new solutions.
2.2 Societal Resilience
Given the unpredictability of man-made and natural threats, security research and innovation should focus on
strengthening Europe’s inherent resilience and ability to effi ciently recover from crises by enhancing the cohesiveness
and robustness of societal systems and their interface with security technologies.
Certain risks cannot be planned for or avoided. Resilient societies are those whose citizens, infrastructures and organisation can face shocks
and recover from them. This ability to reduce vulnerability, mitigate eff ects and recover quickly requires resilience at all levels of society.
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