U.S.-EU Cooperation on Counterterrorism

The United States and the European Union (EU) work closely together to combat the threat of global terrorism. This cooperation is one of the most important and positive accomplishments of our transatlantic relationship. Our shared priorities are to safeguard citizens, infrastructure, and economies on both sides of the Atlantic, consistent with our international commitment to protect civil liberties.

Under the framework of the June 2004 U.S.-EU Summit Declaration on Combating Terrorism, the U.S. and EU are encouraging all states to ratify and fully implement all United Nations counterterrorism conventions and protocols to strengthen international efforts to prevent and combat terrorism, including bioterrorism. We are also improving our joint capabilities to detect, investigate, and prosecute terrorists, while respecting human rights.

Our commitment involves close coordination to develop more comprehensive and efficient international border security processes to further protect the safety of international transport and commerce. Our law enforcement agencies are striving to improve mechanisms to share relevant information. We also coordinate our technical assistance programs to third countries; as part of this effort, the United States is strengthening its cooperation with EU institutions, such as Europol and Eurojust.

With the EU, the U.S. has successfully:

• Completed bilateral protocols to implement the U.S.-EU Extradition/Mutual Legal Assistance Agreements with twelve Member States;
• Developed joint biometric standards to enhance the security of travel documents and closely consulted to ensure the future interoperability of border control systems;
• Concluded the U.S.- EU Passenger Name Record agreement, which allows airlines to provide EU-origin passenger data for flights to the U.S.;
• Established an informal dialogue on terrorism finance issues and initiated implementation of an expert-level work program to encourage sharing of information, promote cooperation on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) issues, and explore options for joint technical assistance initiatives; and
• Finalized cargo screening and inspection procedures under the Container Security Initiative with several Member States, further protecting the security of international transport.