For the past seven months, CILC has been implementing an EU funded framework contract alongside CIVIPOL Conseil. It entails the development of a study and accompanying tools that will provide operational guidance to ensure human rights safeguards are taken into account when designing, implementing and evaluating EU actions related to counter terrorism, fighting organised crime and promoting cybersecurity. Two thirds into the implementation period of the contract, it is now a good time to reflect on what we have achieved so far.
On 1 July the guidance document and tools were submitted to the European Commission, as a result of intensive expert work and well structured collaboration with the relevant DEVCO unit and reference group. They aim to provide first-hand guiding principles and checklists, as derived from international human rights and humanitarian law instruments essential for designing and implementing security related actions. They advise among others on risks to be considered and assessments to be undertaken while deciding and managing security related interventions. Prior to this, valuable feedback was collected on the drafts through an informal stakeholders consultation held in Brussels with participation from the European Commission, the European Parliament and NGOs dealing with human rights and security related matters.
While we await the fine tuning and approval of the guidance document and tools, we are also thinking ahead and preparing for the last contract milestone: organising an inter-service training seminar in Brussels, which will allow concerned desks, policy officers and project managers to familiarise themselves with the new instruments and learn how to apply them in their daily practice.