Brussels, 25/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - Former EU anti-terrorism coordinator, Dutchman Gijs de Vries was appointed to head the European Security Research and innovation Forum (ESRIF) on 11 September. The European Commission proposed de Vries' name for the post of President, along with those of Ms Giancarlo Grasso (Finmeccanica) and Jürgen Stock (Vice-President of the German Federal CID - the BKA) for the posts of Vice-President. De Vries' discrete return to the European scene comes only a few months after he left his previous post. It was in March that he resigned for personal reasons, although some observers felt that his resignation had more to do with illegal CIA activities on EU territory (see EUROPE 9364). Belgian Gilles de Kerkhove was recently appointed to the post of European anti-terrorism coordinator (see EUROPE 9505). The main roles of the ESRIF, which was set up at the start of the year on the basis of a public-private partnership, are to improve the security of infrastructure, combat organised crime and terrorism and improve border observation and control (see EUROPE 9499). The ESRIF has a limited lifespan, until the end of 2009. Towards the end of 2009, it will bring forward a joint security research plan on how the EU could spend the planned budget of €2.135 billion over the 2007-2013 period, under the 7th research framework programme, which includes a “security” chapter (€1.4 billion), and to which will be added an EU framework programme on “security and protecting freedom” (€750 million) and national contributions. (bc)