Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee Security – Industrial Policy Action Plan for an innovative and competitive security industry

Providing security is one of the central concerns of any society. There is no policy area without a crucial component of security. A safe and secure environment is the very basis on which any stable society is founded upon. A competitive EU based security industry offering solutions for enhanced security can make a substantial contribution to the resilience of European society.

The security industry represents a sector with a significant potential for growth and employment. Over the last ten years the global security market has grown nearly tenfold from €10 billion to a market size of €100 billion in 2011. Numerous studies show that the EU's as well as the worldwide security market will continue to have a growth rate which is beyond the average GDP growth.

In response to this significant potential for market growth, the Commission made the security industry one of the essential parts of the EU 2020 flagship initiative "An Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalisation Era Putting Competitiveness and Sustainability at Centre Stage". Therein the Commission announced the launch of a dedicated initiative on a Security Industry Policy.

This Action Plan is the first stepping stone of this dedicated initiative. The overarching aim is to enhance growth and increase employment in the EU's security industry.

EUR-Lex: COM(2012)417: Follow the progress of this document through the decision-making procedure http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/HIS/?uri=COM:2012:417:FIN

European Commission: SWD(2012)233: Security Industrial Policy http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0233:FIN:EN:PDF

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