Euralarm - Experts & Thought Leaders

Euralarm will organise a Perimeter Round Table on November 25, during the Section Meetings in Athens. Interested parties can join the round table either online or in person. The security landscape in Europe is evolving rapidly. As technology advances and threats become more complex, perimeter protection has emerged as a critical layer in safeguarding people, property, and infrastructure. Industry experts and decision-makers Recognising the growing importance of this field, Euralarm is organising a Perimeter Round Table to bring together stakeholders from across the security industry.  Interested organisations, including manufacturers, integrators, and sales organisations active in perimeter protection technologies, are invited to share their perspectives and help define the priorities and a roadmap. This open, collaborative session will bring together industry experts and decision-makers who share a common goal: to strengthen perimeter protection across Europe through innovation, harmonisation, and advocacy. Join the conversation If the organisation designs, manufactures, sells, or integrates perimeter protection systems — or is otherwise involved in securing critical infrastructure and outdoor environments — this is the opportunity to join and work together on the future of the Perimeter business.

The rapid growth of e-commerce has transformed global markets and is creating new opportunities. The downside is that e-commerce also introduces significant challenges in consumer safety, market fairness, and regulatory compliance. The European Commission provides a framework for addressing these challenges through a technical approach that ensures a level playing field for all market operators. These actions are part of the Communication on e-Commerce, ‘A Comprehensive EU Toolbox for Safe and Sustainable e-commerce’, which the Commission has proposed recently. Euralarm welcomes this direction, as it aligns with its mission to safeguard European consumers, businesses, and public safety from the risks associated with non-compliant imports and unfair market practices. Championing fair market practices Euralarm actively supports EU regulations that foster fair competition and protect consumers Euralarm actively supports EU regulations that foster fair competition and protect consumers. With the rise of low-cost, non-compliant imports, enforcing strict regulations is essential to uphold the high safety and security standards that Euralarm promotes. As representatives of the European fire safety and security industry, Euralarm stresses the need for fair market conditions that allow compliant businesses to succeed. Euralarm members are dedicated to safeguarding European consumers and their data. As the EU prioritises security and digital transformation, they align their efforts to strengthen trust in the European market. The fire safety and security industries play a vital role in this evolution, ensuring that innovation advances without compromising safety or compliance. Tackling risks from non-compliant imports Many of these products fail to meet essential safety, cybersecurity, and quality standards The rise of non-compliant products entering the European market through online platforms presents a significant challenge in the e-commerce landscape. Many of these products fail to meet essential safety, cybersecurity, and quality standards, putting both citizens and businesses at risk. Euralarm strongly supports the European Commission’s initiatives to enhance market surveillance and prevent unsafe products from reaching consumers. Strengthening enforcement mechanisms will be key to mitigating these risks while preserving the integrity of the European market. Euralarm members who uphold the highest standards of conformity and regulatory compliance welcome this risk focused approach. Enhancing EU regulations and market surveillance To safeguard European businesses and consumers, Euralarm advocates for the robust enforcement of key EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Markets Act (DMA), Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and the General Product Safety Regulation. Reinforcing market surveillance in line with the e-commerce Communication will help ensure that all products - whether sold online or offline - comply with EU standards. Implementing these safeguards is essential to maintaining a secure and competitive European market. Promoting European innovation and investments Euralarm supports regulatory measures that promote the investments and innovations of European companies. A well-regulated e-commerce sector ensures that businesses operating within the EU framework are not undermined by unfair competition from non-compliant imports. Strengthening compliance and surveillance will help maintain trust in European safety and security solutions while fostering innovation and economic growth. A unified call for action Euralarm remains committed to supporting policies that reinforce the integrity of the European market Euralarm urges policymakers and stakeholders to prioritise enforcement and compliance in the e-commerce sector. A harmonised and stringent approach will not only protect consumers but also ensure the competitiveness of European businesses. By working together, one can uphold high safety standards and promote a secure digital marketplace for all. As an advocate for fire safety and security, Euralarm remains committed to supporting policies that reinforce the integrity of the European market and is looking forward to continued collaboration with EU institutions, industry partners, and regulatory bodies to drive meaningful progress in this critical area.

The revised EU Construction Products Regulation officially came into force on January 7, 2025, bringing updates to the regulatory framework for construction products. However, despite its adoption, nothing will change in the short term for CE marking and EU declarations of conformity, including those in the fire safety industry. Evolving compliance Until new harmonised technical specifications are developed and adopted - based on a forthcoming standardisation request - the existing harmonised standards will continue to apply. This means that manufacturers will continue operating under the current system until the necessary updates are made over the coming years, with active involvement from Euralarm and its members. Ambitious objectives The revised CPR seeks to improve the regulation by addressing practical challenges while introducing new ones The revised CPR seeks to improve the previous regulation by addressing practical challenges while introducing new objectives such as climate neutrality and digitalisation. In the future, key changes will include a joint Declaration of Performance and Conformity, incorporating product compliance, environmental impact, and consumer safety criteria. The introduction of a Digital Product Passport, which will enhance transparency and digitalisation while an Environmental Product Declarations will become mandatory. EPD compliance path The EPD will quantify environmental impact of a product from production to raw material recovery. Euralarm remains committed to supporting its members through this transition and ensuring a smooth adaptation to the new regulatory landscape.

It can be taken as proven that the trends in urbanisation, the mobility of the population and the demographics, have had and will continue to have tremendous impact on our daily lives. These impacts were and are supported by disruptive technology changes (such as the evolution of the internet and mobile communication) and result in higher dependencies of almost all economic and social processes. Compared with former generations, we are spending most of our time in buildings or closed mobile containments/compartments (cars, public transport...), which support us with comfort, efficiency, safety and security. We've learned to extend our social lives through new virtual networks and we've adapted our working style to an almost 24/7 online state. This, and the absence of obvious potential danger, have led to a dismantling of old WWII sirens and to a reduction of capabilities. The European Union and many of its member states have started tests and trials to study new methods that could be used to reach a large number of people Close and intense co-operation All this makes us vulnerable to unplanned manmade incidents disrupting our day to day life as well as business, routines, and so on. Meanwhile, the well-evaluated research on global warming projects higher risks by an increased number of severe weather incidents for the future. Such past incidents have not spared any geographical or any organisational boundaries, and therefore call for a close and intense co-operation to limit their impact. As a reaction to the past experiences in managing incidents, experts and officers have highlighted the need for better preparedness. This resulted in an intense discussion of potential measures, such as modern public warning systems. With this in mind the European Union and many of its member states have started tests and trials to study new methods that could be used to reach a large number of people in the shortest possible time. SMS and other wireless services, such as cell broadcast messages to mobile phones, are obvious choices. They have already been tested in several countries. But what at first glance seems a surefire, easy-to-implement method proves problematic in view of the fact that only 30 percent of the citizens contacted read the message in real-time. Alert4All notification system SMS emergency broadcast messages are one method of warning and updating the public of crises in real-time The public warning system was also addressed by several FP7 projects, which have concluded research in this area. One such project was Alert4All, which successfully demonstrated in 2013 a public alerting concept in a clearly defined and emergent danger zone by introducing an enhanced public warning messaging protocol. Messages, based on this protocol, were transmitted via satellite and terrestrial systems to smart phones, tablets, navigation systems and television receivers.These systems have an undisputed track record for saving countless lives by alerting and guiding people to safety in crisis situations Using the Alert4All concept, first responders can stay in contact with the population from the outset of and throughout the crisis. Using the “buzz” from social media networks provides the required input to adjust the communication content. The Alert4All protocol also allows for the translation of alarm messages into the language the receiver normally uses to display information or messages. This means that a Spanish user could read the message in Spanish even while in England. On the other hand, electronic fire safety and security systems have been installed in buildings for more than 50 years. Their purpose is to detect an emerging danger in a building or building complex and notify people in time. These systems have an undisputed track record for saving countless lives by alerting and guiding people to safety in crisis situations. Millions of such systems are installed today in commercial and private buildings. Many of them are permanently connected to public and/or private alarm receiving stations. All of them are equipped with devices such as sirens, horns, strobe lights or loudspeakers. They could also be used to alert people of a public danger that might impact buildings or their occupants. PEARS emergency response Represented by a Euralarm team, together with the FP7 Alert4All project team, those systems showed their capability to take on a responsible role in public warning during the final demonstration in 2013 as well. Their installed base, their fault tolerance and their positive track record in securing assets and in preventing casualties could make them a perfect asset in the incident preparedness of modern societies, beside other technologies. Above all, civil protection organisations could lever “private” field resources in emergency management and extend the overall resources for big and disastrous incidents. Achieving this requires efforts at all levels and from all stakeholders, e.g. within CEN and within ETSI. Euralarm published a White Paper on such a public emergency alarm and response system (PEARS). Download the white paper here

The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions According to the United Nations, the world population will reach almost 8.5 billion by 2030. As populations grow, so do cities. Even now more than half of the world’s inhabitants live in urban areas, and more than one million move from the country to the city every week. This trend places enormous demands on people and infrastructures. Because only when communication, energy, safety, security and mobility of goods and people function seamlessly, can cities offer their citizens quality of life and a flourishing economy. For city planners, the answer to these challenges is the “smart city.” The foundation are uniform standards for intelligent, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions.  The current process of urbanisation is reflected not only in housing shortages and sky-rocketing rents. European cities, in particular, were built based on 19th-century principles, and the individual supply systems are often viewed in isolation. The exploding population is rapidly driving cities to their limits with respect to energy supply, security, digital communication, transportation and traffic. The concept of the smart city provides one answer. Its primary mission is to distribute existing resources efficiently. Networking individual supply systems through technical solutions should enable cities to respond dynamically to temporary demands, thus preserving their functionality. Megacities as security bottlenecks Urban space is especially vulnerable. Accidents, natural disasters or terrorist attacks and the resulting supply bottlenecks are even more severe in the face of dense populations, large numbers of people and an often overburdened transportation infrastructure. In addition, there is a clear correlation between the size of a city and its crime rate. 80 percent of recorded crimes occur in cities that account for a total of 50 percent of the world’s population. While that may be normal for tightly-packed urban areas, countermeasures are still needed to protect life and property as elementary freedoms and values. The World Bank has estimated that, depending on the country, the total cost of crime can be as much as 25 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). According to the European Commission, even the comparatively safe European Union spends at least five percent of its gross domestic product on costs resulting from crime and natural disasters. Such events have considerable consequences, not only for the persons directly affected but also for the community as a whole. Global value-creation chains and the war for talent pit not only economy against economy, but city against city. If city planners fail to guarantee safety, security, and supply, investors look elsewhere and highly qualified workers move to where they can expect the highest quality of life. To keep pace with global competition, cities have a vital interest in meeting these challenges. The exploding population is rapidly driving cities to their limits with respect to energy supply, security, digital communication, transportation and traffic Smart city: the unknown entity The concept of the smart city promises to improve the quality of public and private services through digital technologies. At the same time, the city’s costs and consumption of resources drop, which in turn raises the well-being of all. Seen in that light, every city, no matter how small or large, wants to be “smart.” But what does that really mean? What criteria need to be met? Among the most pressing issues large cities face are the constant rise in traffic, energy use and emissions, the security and safety of the population, a reliable high-speed network, and finally, how to finance it all. In spite of everything, however, there is no consistent definition of what a smart city really is. Different companies and business media have named initial indices. But those indices are as different as night and day, and hence inadequate in order to compare individual locations and their “smart city” qualities with any transparency. That would require uniform key performance indicators (KPIs). What the various indices do share, however, is the lack of a KPI for the degree of protection, security and resilience of a city. But a city that is not safe and secure cannot be smart. So the smart city approach must be seen more holistically. Comparable and transparent benchmarks must be created while at the same time taking into account elementary safety and security standards. Uniform standards are needed Investors and experts need transparent key performance indicators to be able to assess smart cities, although the cities themselves and other stakeholders, e.g., city administration, police, fire department and civil defence, also rely on standards. Only then will it be possible to make systematic progress. Initials results are already in evidence. The Focus Group on Smart Sustainable Cities of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a special UN organisation, offers technical reports and specifications, such as in the areas of cyber security and data protection. In addition, a number of different KPIs have been defined to help rank smart cities in areas such as telecommunications. The ITU defines smart cities as follows: “A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects.” A smart sustainable city is an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve quality of life, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations Likewise at the international level, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) has defined in ISO standard 37120 a total of 100 indicators for measuring city services and quality of life. 11 of them revolve around safety and security. This includes indicators that target security, fire safety and crisis management as well as water, energy and transportation. That makes ISO 37120 the only standard with KPIs appropriate for measuring the degree of security and safety in cities on a comparative basis. Approximately 250 cities in 80 countries are participating in the introduction of this standard, including London, Shanghai, Toronto and Rotterdam. To this end, they report metrics like the number of deaths due to fire per 100,000 inhabitants and the response time of the police and fire departments after the initial call. This makes it possible to indicate transparently and verifiably just how safe a city really is. The fact that ISO 37120 includes diverse safety and security indicators is no accident. Siemens security systems specialists actively contributed to the development of the standard in the relevant work groups. This led to the development of measurable and meaningful security standards. Safety and security as the foundation of the smart city The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions. Smart city efforts that concentrate solely on smart energy use don’t go far enough. Until now, safety, security and resilience have often been viewed as convenient side effects that need no separate planning. But quite the opposite is true. An urban community can only function properly if normal life can resume as quickly as possible after an incident, such as a major fire or terrorist attack. Ideally, however, such incidents should be prevented in the first place. This requires intelligent linking of individual subsystems and taking advantage of the resulting benefits. Interoperable systems offer safety, security and stability for critical infrastructures such as airports and data centres. One essential component is the physical security of infrastructures and IT networks. Even the most sophisticated firewalls are of little use if the door to the server room lacks a reliable access control system. Protecting a city’s “virtual backbone” Cities house not only important economic and intellectual resources such as universities, public buildings, offices and production facilities, but also transportation networks and critical infrastructures. In light of the ever increasing role of IT in providing urban services, the protection of this “virtual backbone” is becoming more and more critical. In most cases, safeguarding critical infrastructures does not require reinventing the wheel. From security solutions in data centres and video surveillance to intelligent crowd evacuation, the security industry already has countless solutions in place. The task is to logically embed these solutions in a “smart city” context. This requires integrating a variety of systems – communication, automatic alarm, information and video surveillance systems – into a central command and control platform to ensure comprehensive and consistent incident response. Therein lies the heart of a smart, safe city. The city of the future needs smart, secure and resilient infrastructure solutions. Smart city efforts that concentrate solely on smart energy use don’t go far enough Implementing these security standards requires engaging all the stakeholders – from community administrations to NGOs and standards committees – in order to create policies that not only motivate their implementation but also set transparent international standards. ISO 37120 and the technical reports and specifications of the ITU are a good place to start. Weak points and possible countermeasures need to be defined and costs calculated. At the same time, we should not lose sight of the fact that the resilience of cities tends to be greatly overestimated and that in the end, technology is not the solution for everything. Committed citizens and efficient intervention forces are and will remain crucial for the security and safety of a city. Safety and security matter in global competition Cities have a fundamental self-interest in transparent and comparable smart city structures because safe and secure urban environments are especially attractive in the global competition for real and human capital. Often, even cities that see themselves as smart don’t adequately address the issue of safety and security. Therefore, one of the main responsibilities of politics is to identify the appropriate stakeholders and share in the development of solutions. This process requires defining clear safety and security standards for smart cities as well as providing or creating the means and incentives for their implementation. The smart city concept will revolutionise urban life much like the industrial revolution did. To shape this revolution successfully and for the good of all, it is absolutely essential to create the proper foundation from the start. Safety and security must not be left until the end of the process.