Objectives

The objective is to gain a better understanding of potential future threats and based on this develop targeted policy recommendations for the European policy-makers and the security community based on the results acquired in the course of the project. This will on the one hand include how the current institutional structure of the EU could cope with the challenges identified in SECURENV. Secondly, which critical gaps remain and need to be filled within the European setting and for the future European security research efforts. Finally, it will provide a broad outlook from a global perspective, to what extent the threats identified may have implications for other regional and global structures (such as: UN agencies and conventions, the European Neighbourhood, etc.) may have against the background of presented global trends. Work will also contribute to the elaboration of a security-research roadmap for Theme 10 of FP7 besides providing recommendations for the security, intelligence, civil protection and defence communities.

Review and analyse past environmental accidents, catastrophes and effects of human actions. Establish databases with relevant information for end-users.
Identify novel and emerging threats on the environment as well as the technological opportunities.
Develop an appropriate foresight methodology and potential scenarios involving future environmental risks and use this for investigating policy options.
The project will contribute to define the strategic roadmap for future FP7 Security Research and in planning and designing of other future security research programmes and actions.
The project will also give support in developing policies, programmes and initiatives which aim at further enhancing the security of European citizens. It will provide improved insight and advice for security policy makers, security research programme managers and security researchers concerning contemporary terrorism and in particular on potential future acts perpetrated by intentional adversaries.
The project will provide complementary support to other ongoing activities under the Seventh Framework Program on Security research and national-level research and development that have already started to address security research.
The project will support the objective to determine the long-term threats to European security and guide the development of both technologies and policies.

Concerning the specific area of the Work Programme addressed by the project, the use of foresight methods will clearly tackle the challenge of "broad qualitative uncertainty" which is a prevalent issue not only in the security domain, but also in most research fields.