THE COST(S) OF SECURITY.

The EU faces some major budgetary issues this year and next. These include the never-ending tussles over the union's regional spending, as well as the more recent and controversial move by the European Commission to reform the way state aid is handed out at national level. Not to mention the fight among national capitals to set the EU's overall budget for 2007-2013.

One policy area that the general public - and certainly business and industry - would be wise to keep an eye on for its budgetary and cost implications, however, is security. Despite gushing declarations from EU...