First meeting of the CERIS expert group takes place in Brussels

On 14 October 2022, the 65 members of the Commission expert group on the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security (CERIS) met each other for the first time in Brussels. DG HOME explained the policy context and the objectives of the expert group. The group took note of the Terms of Reference, agreed on the Rules of Procedure, and discussed its mandate.

While originating from 19 different EU Member States and four non-EU countries, the 65 members of the CERIS expert group were reminded that they are appointed in a personal capacity, meaning that they are acting independently and in the public interest. With their professional experience ranging from security practitioners and researchers to the private sector, the members work in four different subgroups covering the following thematic areas:

• Fighting crime and terrorism, including resilient infrastructure (FCT/INFRA);
• Disaster resilient societies (DRS);
• Border management (BM); and
• Strengthened security research and innovation (SSRI).

In the discussion, it was suggested to also discuss cross-cutting topics touching upon several thematic areas. Several members of the expert group supported the idea for dedicated CERIS workshops in 2023 on security innovation that promotes protection of fundamental rights as well as on fostering the capability-driven approach in the civil security domain.

Several group members underlined that the work of the group should not only focus on modern technology, but also on knowledge and innovation as such.

In the concluding remarks, DG HOME invited the different subgroups to closely work together, and welcomed the clear interest shown by all members to actively participate in the work of this Commission expert group.

The CERIS expert group is registered in the Register of Commission Expert Groups.