Secretary Napolitano departed Washington, D.C. this morning en route to Copenhagen, Denmark - the first stop on a multi-city trip to Europe and the Middle East. The Secretary will travel to Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom over the next six days to meet with her international counterparts to discuss information sharing and privacy protection; collaborative efforts to secure cyber networks worldwide; and coordination to combat transnational criminal activity and the global threat of terrorism.
In Copenhagen, the Secretary will meet with her counterparts on transportation security, bilateral criminal information sharing partnerships, and ongoing multinational efforts to address transnational crime—particularly human trafficking.
In Belgium – where I'm told they sell waffles on the street – Secretary Napolitano will meet with members of the European Parliament and Belgian officials to discuss methods for combating crime and terrorism while protecting civil liberties. She will also meet with World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya to discuss multilateral efforts to crack down on smuggling and strengthen risk-based cargo screening.
In Spain, Secretary Napolitano will deliver remarks to the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. She will also join Spanish officials to discuss customs cooperation as well as privacy issues related to bilateral criminal information sharing partnerships between the United States, Spain and the European Union.
In the United Arab Emirates, Secretary Napolitano will meet with her counterparts to highlight transportation and maritime security and the benefits of information sharing initiatives to deter the threats of crime and terrorism.
In the United Kingdom, Secretary Napolitano will join students, faculty and staff at the London School of Economics to encourage a new generation of security professionals to confront a continually evolving array of threats through collaboration and innovation. She will also meet with her UK counterparts to stress the importance of collaborating on cybersecurity efforts and talk with the Metropolitan Police of London about recent multinational criminal investigations. This blogger hopes she comes home with a bobby's helmet for the office.
We'll be following the trip pretty closely on the blog. Check back for frequent updates and pictures.
