The Swedish Presidency is expected to soon lead the negotiations with the European Parliament on these two important files for the integration of AI-enabled technologies (EU AI Act) into existing services, and the processing of security-sensitive data (EU Data Act). CoESS and Säkerhetsföretagen therefore stress the Presidency to agree with Parliament on an approach for both files that ensures a competitive European market while safeguarding the highest security standards.

Both dossiers, the EU AI Act and EU Data Act, will have an important impact on the security of European citizens. While the EU AI Act will regulate the future use of AI, the EU Data Act aims to regulate the exchange of data held by businesses. Both files concern all sectors of the economy, have however very specific, security-related implications:

• EU AI Act: The European private security sector calls for regulators to guarantee legal certainty for businesses willing to integrate AI-enabled security services in the future, as well as adequacy and quality in human oversight of high-risk AI system – aspects that are very well reflected in the general approach found in Council.
• EU Data Act: CoESS calls for the exclusion of security-sensitive data from the broad exchange of data, as foreseen by the future Regulation, due to serious physical and cyber-security risks for public security. Also here, the Czech and Swedish EU Council Presidencies have proposed important changes in the EU Council’s position on the file, which are welcomed by the security industry.

With their statement, CoESS and Säkerhetsföretagen strongly recommend that the Presidency considers the increasing responsibility of private security services for the protection of European citizens and infrastructure when negotiating the EU AI Act and EU Data Act – and hence the impact of both files not only on the security industry, but public security overall. 

The full statement can be found here.