U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch participated in the 2016 G6 Meeting of Interior Ministers in Rome, Italy on Oct. 20-21. They discussed security measures in Europe, migration flows, terrorism, cybersecurity and international border security.
The meeting, hosted by the Minister of the Italian Republic Angelino Alfano, included representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Johnson emphasized the importance of security cooperation between the G6 countries and the United States and reaffirmed his department’s commitment to coordination and sharing intelligence to enhance collective security.
Johnson participated in bilateral meetings with Alfano, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière and the United Kingdom’s Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Johnson emphasized the importance of the implementation of the European Union’s Passenger Name Records Directive and the United States’ willingness to expand bilateral information sharing programs, particular related to the screening of migrants. The secretary also discussed opportunities for continued cybersecurity coordination.
Johnson and Alfano signed a statement of intent prioritizing the prevention of serious crime and terrorism through additional information sharing, which included the use of automatic systems to examine biometric data through the Secure Real Time Platform.