09-06-10

A delegation of EU-SEC II partners was offered a very special opportunity to observe part of the security preparations for his Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cyprus. This unique occasion, being the first Papal visit to the island in its 50 year history, was provided to the small delegation of EU-SEC II partners by the Cyprus Police. The EU-SEC II Partner delegation was composed of the Danish National Police, The German Police University and the Malta Police Force. This special EU-SEC II delegation was selected to participate in the event in order for there to be an occasion for best practices to be discussed and shared.

Why Denmark, Germany and Malta?

The Danish National Police were involved in the provision of security for the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit which took place in December 2009, an even that ran over two weeks with the participation of many important political figures such as President Obama, President Medvedev, and President Hu Jintao, among others. The Malta Police Force having already been involved in three Papal visits to Malta was well placed to share information with regard to organising security for such visits. In addition the German Police University leading the EU-SEC II project task on Media Management had occasion to see what practices were being utilised in this context with regard to managing relations with the media.

The event was an example of how providing an integrated approach to sharing best practice can support common standards for security planning and evaluation methodology allows Member States to consider all elements in security planning for events of such importance. Overall this was a valuable occasion to test how the European House of Major Events Security would be useful to Member States in the planning of security for events such as G8 summits, Olympic Games, and other similar events of high profile and historical importance.