According to a Eurobarometer poll, out of ten EU citizens think that the EU needs better tools to fight organised crime, terrorism and extremism. The Commission has also published the first report on the Internal Security Strategy launched last year, outlining issues that need to be given further attention and taking stock of progress made.

A Eurobarometer poll released by the European Commission indicates that four out of ten Europeans want the EU to do more to tackle the security challenges. This has been highlighted on the Internal Security Strategy launched last year. In addition, many Europeans also believe that the threats will intensify over the next three years, with cybercrime seen as the security challenge most likely to worsen.

Also the first annual report highlights progress in the fight against organised crime, such as the significant progress marked by the Commission's proposal for EU legislation on the collection of Passenger Name Records on flights entering or leaving the EU and the anti-corruption package, adopted in June 2011. However, further progress is needed on judicial and law enforcement cooperation, and on the development of an administrative approach to combating serious crime.

On the other hand, there has also been progress in the fight against terrorism and radicalisation. The Commission set up a European Radicalisation Awareness Network and adopted a Communication on an EU Terrorist Financing Tracking System. Nevertheless, further efforts are needed in relation to a framework for administrative measures on the freezing of terrorist assets and the improvement of land transport security. On cybercrime, progress has been made towards setting up a European Cybercrime Centre and Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERT). In the future, several Member States will need to take urgent action to ratify the Budapest Convention which provides a framework for international cooperation in this area.

The EU Commission will, amongst other measures, adopt a package on confiscation and recovery of criminal assets, organise a high level conference on countering violent extremism and develop an overarching European strategy for Internet security in 2012, as a concrete follow up to the priorities identified in the ISS.