Global Security Newswire

The top officials from European Union states' justice and home affairs branches today recommended that readiness for biological, chemical, nuclear or radiological strikes be incorporated into nations' crisis response plans, the Sofia Echo reported (see GSN, June 8).

Planning should involve a broad scope of agencies, covering law enforcement, intelligence, emergency, medical and communications operations, according to the ministers. They also called for EU governments to conduct readiness drills, share data and increase citizens' knowledge of correct responses to a WMD incident, the Bulgarian newspaper reported.

Readiness measures put in place since 2002 on the continent included the move two years ago to have the law enforcement intelligence service Europol establish a database on on WMD terror-associated activities and on substances and goods "which may be used with malicious intent."

The justice and home affairs ministers noted that certain EU nations had already developed readiness and reaction plans specifically for acts of WMD terrorism. Meanwhile, some states had incorporated planning for an unconventional weapons strike into their terrorism preparations or taken similar steps (Sofia Echo, Nov. 8).