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Observatories

The European security-industrial complex

Date

26 January 2017

Topics

Coercion and control Snooping and surveillance

Institution

European Union (EU)

Region

Europe

The European security-industrial complex is a term used to describe the confluence of interests within the European Union between the ‘homeland security’ industry and politicians and state officials dealing with security policies.

What is the European security-industrial complex?

Latest updates

14 September 2022: New reports added to the analysis section
24 May 2021: Legal basis section updated with information on Horizon Europe (2021-27)
8 January 2020: Link to CORDIS database of Horizon 2020 security projects added
24 October 2018: Horizon Europe proposals added to the Observatory
24 October 2018: Security research: advisory group report on fundamental rights in a “digital intensive environment” added to the Observatory

See the overview, examine the legal basis and related policy studies, or explore news articles and critical research.

Overview

At EU level, this complex is most apparent in the European Security Research Programme (ESRP),currently a €1.3 billion component of the Horizon Europe research and development programme, in place for the 2021-27 period. The research programme’s official name is ‘Civil Security for Society’. The ESRP has the twin objectives of enhancing public safety through the development of security technologies and fostering the growth of a globally competitive European ‘homeland security’ market. Security-related research also takes place in other themes of the research programme (e.g. space, transport, energy). The current incarnation of the ESRP follows on from the €1.7 billion security component of the seven-year EU Framework Research Programme (Horizon 2020, 2014-20), and its €1.4 billion predecessor within the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7, 2007-13).

The security research budgets are intended to provide tools and technologies that will complement EU and national internal security policies, which have their own budgets. For the 2021-27 period, these include the Internal Security Fund, the Integrated Border Management Fund and the European Defence Fund.

Early research by Statewatch and the Transnational Institute (Arming Big Brother and NeoConOpticon) showed how the design of the ESRP was largely outsourced to the major players in the nascent European Homeland Security industry, instituting an apparent conflict of interests within which large multinationals and major research institutes have been able to shape the security research agenda, apply for the subsequent R&D funds on offer, and then attempt to sell the resulting technologies and systems back to the governments that funded their development. Subsequent research (Market Forces) has confirmed these findings. See: Market Forces (2017), NeoConOpticon (2009) and Arming Big Brother (2006).

According to a 2014 report commissioned by the European Parliament, the EU’s dedication to supporting the security industry and developing technologies of surveillance “overrules all other societal considerations, which are relegated to preoccupations with societal acceptance of security technologies.” A 2010 edition of the same report concluded that “it is mostly large defence companies, the very same who have participated in the definition of EU-sponsored security research which are the main beneficiaries of [ESRP] funds”.

The EU has also recommended that Member States establish dedicated national security research programmes and at least seven have done so.

Projects funded under the ESRP

CORDIS: Security research projects under Horizon 2020 (January 2020)
Security research projects funded under Horizon 2020 (December 2015)
European funded projects in the field of Border Security: Exhibition & workshops – 2014 report (Frontex publication)
FP7 security research projects: volume 1
FP7 security research projects: volume 2
ESRP projects 2004-6 (39 projects funded under the “Preparatory Action for Security Research”)
CORDIS database (search all EC-funded projects)

Israel’s involvement in the ESRP

Prominent Legal Experts Confirm Israel’s Record of Torture Makes EU Funding of LAW-TRAIN Project Illegal (ECCAP, 28 June 2017)
EU funding to Israeli military companies and institutions through Horizon 2020 (ECCAP, 13 October 2015)
Should the EU subsidise Israeli Security? Ben Hayes (Statewatch), European Voice newspaper (March 2010)
Statewatch submission on Israel’s involvement in the ESRP to the Russell Tribunal on Palestine (see page 101; 2010). See also oral evidence
Briefing Paper: Security Co-operation between the EU and Israel (2010), Quaker Council for European Affairs
Spain-Israel: Military, Homeland Security and Armament-Based Relations and trends (2010), Alejandro Pozo Marín, Centre d’Estudis per a la Pau/Justícia i Paune
Factsheet on how Israeli arms companies benefit from EU science funds (2009), Dave Cronin, Irish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign

EU websites

Lobbyists

Legal basis and policy framework

Legal basis and official evaluations

Horizon Europe (2021-27)
- Regulation (EU) 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, laying down its rules for participation and dissemination
- Council Decision (EU) 2021/764 of 10 May 2021 establishing the Specific Programme implementing Horizon Europe – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

Horizon 2020 (2014-20)

Internal Security Fund (2014-2020)

FP7 (2007-13)

- Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-13)
  - (09.2015) Final Evaluation of Security Research under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration (Technopolis Group)
  - (21.3.2011) Mid-term review of FP7 by European Parliament: draft Audy report. See NeoConOpticon blog: ‘Lobbyists delight: draft European Parliament report calls for full-blown EU military research budget‘

2007-13 internal security funds

Preparatory Action on Security Research

(3.2.2004) European Commission Decision 2004/213/EC on the implementation of the Preparatory Action on the Enhancement of the European industrial potential in the field of security research

Studies contracted by the European Commission

Study on the development of statistical data on the European security technological and industrial base (2015) – Ecorys

Study evaluating the status quo and the legal implications of third party liability for the European security industry (2013) – Metro, European Centre of Tort and Insurance Law and Hunton & Williams: “Third party liability has been identified as an issue that could adversely impact the European security industry. Limitless third party liability for security product and services is believed to have the potential to reduce investments in innovation… This development has convinced the EU to examine the legal implications of third party liability of the security industry and possible policy options.”

Study on Civil Military Synergies in the field of Security (2012) – Ecorys: “one option to strengthen the security industrial base is to (further) enhance cooperation between the civil security and military industries and promote technological spin-offs between them.”

Study on pre-commercial procurement in the field of Security (2011) – Ecorys with Decision Etudes & Conseil and TNO: “In order to preserve the future positions of European industry, reinforcing both the amount and efficiency of European R&D seems essential, as well as striving to correct these weaknesses. Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP), a procedure for the public procurement of R&D services, covering the exploration and definition of different competing solutions, down to test-series production and field testing, seems able to provide some answers to these difficulties.”

Study on Security Regulation, Conformity Assessment & Certification (2011) – Ecorys: “The main elements of this Report concern the overview of the EU regulatory environment, together with an assessment of the environment for conformity assessment and certification of security products.”

Study on the industrial implications of the blurring of dividing lines between Security and Defence (2010) – Istituto Affari Internazionali, Manchester Institute of Innovation Research and Institut des Relations Internationales et Stratégiques: “The [European Commission] has identitified converging activities between the security and defence markets and has therefore initiated this study to explore the potential implications.”

Study on the Competitiveness of the EU security industry (2009) – ECORYS Research and Consulting with DECISION Etudes & Conseil and TNO. Assesses “the current situation of the EU security industry, its structure and organisation, competitiveness position and challenges for the future”

High-level reports and policy papers

(2018) Horizon 2020 Protection and Security Advisory Group (PASAG): Achieving synergies between security and information-related fundamental rights (IRFR) in a digital intensive environment (July 2018, pdf): In line with the cybersecurity theme of the Horizon 2020 security research programme, the PASAG (responsible for providing advice to the European Commission on the content of the security research work programmes) has produced a report on fundamental rights and the “digital-intensive” environment (e.g. concerning the Internet of Things, big data, surveillance, social media). The report argues that technologies to enforce fundamental rights are unlikely to be funded by industry and should be the focus of public funding; it makes a number of recommendations for the types of projects or topics that could be pursued. At the same time, this desire to ensure that fundamental rights are protected in a “digital intensive environment” is, at root, a means to ensure that the model of ‘surveillance capitalism’ that has arisen in recent years retains legitimacy in the eyes of the public.

(2011) European Commission: Results of the Public Consultation on an Industrial Policy for the Security Industry: “The objective of this consultation was to collect the stakeholders’ views on the envisaged policy measures aimed at an enhancing the security of the European citizens through a dedicated EU security industry policy.”

(14.3.2011) The European Commission has launched a public consultation entitled ‘Unleashing the potential of Europe’s security industry’. See also Commission Background paper and NeoConOpticon blog: ‘Please help this beleaguered industry!

(2011) The European Commission has published a Green Paper on a Common Strategic Framework for future EU Research and Innovation Funding (COM (2011) 48) and launched a public consultation. Responses are invited by 20 May 2011.

(2009) European Security Research and Innovation Forum Report Sets out a “roadmap” for security research.
- Commission Communication on the European Security Research and Innovation Agenda (21.12.2009, COM (2009) 691). The Commission’s position on ESRIF’s key findings and recommendations

(2006) European Security Research Advisory Board report “Meeting the challenge: the European Security Research Agenda”
- Commission Communication on Public-Private Dialogue in Security Research and Innovation (11.9.2007, COM (2007) 511)

(2006) European Commission Green Paper on detection technologies (1.9.2006, COM (2006) 474)

(2004) Group of Personalities Report: “A Secure Europe in a Better World” Report of the Group of Personalities in the field of Security Research
- European Commission Communication on Security Research (7.9.2004, COM (2004) 590)
- Commission Communication on the implementation of the Preparatory Action on the enhancement of the European industrial potential in the field of Security research – Towards a programme to advance European security through Research and Technology – (3.2.2004, COM (2004) 72)

News and analysis

Statewatch/TNI reports

12 May 2022:A clear and present danger: Missing safeguards on migration and asylum in the EU’s AI Act – contains an overview of research projects geared towards the development of ‘border AI’
3 May 2022: At what cost? Funding the EU’s security, defence, and border policies, 2021–2027 – see in particular the section on ‘Civil Security for Society’
28 February 2022: Building the biometric state: Police powers and discrimination – contains an overview of research projects geared towards the development of biometric technologies
Market Forces: the development of the EU security-industrial complex (2017)
The visible hand: the EU’s Security Industrial Policy (2016)
Rethinking the EU Security Research Programme (2011)
A new player in security research: the European Network of Law Enforcement Technology Services (ENLETS) (2011)
Homeland Security comes to Europe (2009)
NeoConOpticon: The EU Security-Industrial Complex (2009)
The German Security Research Programme: Transferring military technology – securitising civil research by Eric Töpfer (2010)
Arming Big Brother: The EU’s Security Research Programme (2006)

Other critical research

Expanding the fortress: The policies, the profiteers and the people shaped by EU’s border externalisation programme (TNI, 2018)
Arms industry lobbying and the militarisation of the EU (Corporate Europe Observatory, link): an overview of information from the report ‘Securing Profits’ (below) and elsewhere, including the Statewatch/TNI report ‘Market Forces’ (2017)
Securing Profitsby Bram Vanken (Vredesactie): on the arms idustry’s role in the developing EU military research and defence policy (2017)
Security for Sale: The price we pay to protect Europeans (de Correspondent, 2017)
Border Wars and Border Wars II by Mark Akkerman (Transnational Institute, 2016)
Review of security measures in the Research Framework Programme published by the European Parliament Directorate General for internal Policies, 2014 and 2010 – detailed report confirming many of the findings in Statewatch and TNI’s earlier NeoConOpticon report (above)
A European Agenda for Security Technology: From Innovation Policy to Export Controls by Jocelyn Mawdsley (2013)
Lobbying Warfare: The arms industry’s role in building a militarised Europe: on arms industry lobbying in the EU institutions (Corporate Europe Observatory, 2011)

News articles