‘Bring EU into Olympic preparations’
By politics.co.uk staff
The EU must be put on standby to assist in the events of a terrorist strike during the Olympics, peers have said.
The Lords EU committee said the EU should also be involved in the security planning for event, which should be framed around all five host boroughs, rather than just the Olympic Park area.
Committee chairman Lord Jopling said: “It is increasingly clear that the 2012 Olympics could be a prime target for terrorists.
“It is vital that the government takes every possible step to ensure that other EU member states are fully prepared to assist the UK in the case of a potential attack.
“We are surprised that this process is not already in hand and we recommend the government begin liaising with the MIC as a matter of urgency.”
The idea of involving the EU – through its monitoring and information centre (MIC) – in event preparation is not without precedent.
During the 2004 European Championships Portugal asked for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear decontamination teams to be kept on standby.
The government is committed to keeping Olympic security costs at £600 million.
