After a spate of deadly terrorist attacks in France and Austria in October and November 2020 the problem with countering terrorism is once again high on the EU political agenda. The signs of EU solidarity were clearly demonstrated as French President Emmanuel Macron and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz met in Paris after both their countries have lost lives to terrorist attacks. The two leaders then held a video conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel to discuss collective EU antiterrorism strategy. As reported, the EU leaders discussed measures such as prevention, better integration, intelligence sharing, tighter control on the EU’s external borders and religious training in a way that respects EU ideals. The role of the EU’s external action, however, has not been specifically addressed and it could play a significant role in countering terrorism outside the borders of Europe.
Read more in the first CDE4Peace Policy brief, available for download here.
For more information on the CDE4 Peace project, which explores the potential of Concept Development and Experimentation (CDE) for enhancing the EU’s conflict prevention and peace-building policy, check the project website https://www.cde4peace.eu/.