On September 22 the SDA hosted a high-level roundtable on "The need to know: European information-sharing".

The majority of the world's population today lives in cities, and they are expanding at an unprecedented pace. Security challenges are growing more complex, from terrorism and organised crime to political and economic unrest, raising questions about the resilience of critical infrastructure, energy security and the effects of climate change.

The roundtable meeting looked at how Europe can tackle the problems caused by the fragmentation of Europe's security market.

On 27 April 2011, participants from across the EU institutions, NATO, NGOs and industry gathered for an SDA evening debate to discuss Europe’s role in balancing security and freedom in cyber-space.

Stefano Manservisi, Director General for Home Affairs at the European Commission, introduces this roundtable debate featuring experts on border security from both sides of the Atlantic. Together, they discussed the changing function of borders and assessed the EU's ability to turn its internal and external borders into intelligent filters, which facilitate commerce and exchange within a wider security network.