European Union/United States: Cecilia Malmstrom Member of the European Commission responsible for Home Affairs The EU Internal Security Strategy - what does it mean for the United States? Discussion organised by The Center for Transatlantic Relations Wash.

Section: General News - Ladies and Gentlemen, It is with great pleasure that I am here today to talk to you about how to develop cooperation between the EU and the US. It is an issue very dear to my heart. Let me also say how much I appreciate the work done by Dan Hamilton and the Center for Transatlantic Relations for their important work in this regard.

While coming from Sweden, I partly grew up in Paris. And I still remember when, as a young child, my parents took me and my sister to Normandy to see the enormous cemeteries of the soldiers who fought in World War ll.

Some of my classmates' family members were buried there. This helped form my strong pro-European stance. And, as I grew older, it gave me an understanding of the role the US played and still plays for security in the world.

The threats against our security today are numerous; we have more examples of that than we would wish. The bomb in a printer from Yemen was just one reminder out of many.

And let's not be naive. The terrorists and organised criminals are not stupid. While we try to fix the current loopholes they are already planning new attacks with means our radar probably has not yet picked up.

We must go from being reactive to proactive. In defence matters soldiers too often base the organisation and the analysis on the latest war and not the coming one. Let's not do the same mistake when it comes to internal security.

Global threats require global solutions. And the need for international cooperation has never been bigger.

One thing that always strikes me in discussions with American friends, whether they represent the Government or think tanks, is the very result oriented approach you have.

The title of this seminar is a good example. Your focus is "what's in it for us".

I find it refreshing. Be concrete and don't complicate things.