Fittex
Violence and organised crime in the EU
The use of violence by criminals involved in organised crime is increasing in the European Union (EU), in terms of frequency, severity, visibility and impact. Most violence is concentrated in and around major transit points and transportation hubs used for smuggling goods, particularly drugs. At the same time, firearms are a key enabler of the increasing violence perpetrated by organised crime groups. Increased competition between rival criminal groups has led to a spillover of violence onto the ...
Time to lift the international sanctions on Syria?
Since the unexpected overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in early December 2024, Syria has embarked on an uncertain trajectory. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the armed jihadi group leading the offensive against the Assad forces, has now taken charge of the country and set up a caretaker government. Scepticism abounds in international circles about HTS owing to the group's terrorist credentials and Salafist ideology. However, the new Syrian authorities have declared plans to establish a political ...
Wider comprehensive EU Middle East strategy
In her political guidelines for 2024 to 2029, the President of the European Commission announced the need for a wider comprehensive EU Middle East strategy. The Council and the Commission are due to give statements on the issue during ºÏ·¨²©²ÊÍøÕ¾'s February plenary session.
Understanding EU counter-terrorism policy
Faced with a persistent terrorist threat, the European Union (EU) is playing an increasingly ambitious role in counter-terrorism. While primary responsibility for combating crime and ensuring security lies with the Member States, the EU provides cooperation, coordination and (to some extent) harmonisation, as well as financial support, to address this borderless phenomenon. Moreover, awareness of the connection between development and stability, as well as between internal and external security, ...
Hate speech and hate crime: Time to act?
Over the last 20 years, there has been a marked increase in hate speech and hate crime in Europe. Expressing hate has become socially acceptable, stigmatising and dehumanising individuals and groups of people for characteristics ranging from age, ethnicity, gender identity, language, nationality, race, religion, and sex to sexual orientation. Widespread use of the internet and social media has increasingly brought hate speech online. EU law criminalises hate speech and hate crime, but only if it ...
Victims of terrorism: EU response
On 11 March, Europe honours all those who have lost their lives or loved ones to terror. The European Day of Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism was inaugurated after the 2004 Madrid bombings. Protecting victims of terrorism is an essential part of the EU's efforts to address all dimensions of the terrorist threat. In response to the attacks that have hit Europe over the past two decades, the EU has strengthened its rules and sanctions relating to terrorist activities. Ongoing EU action seeks to ...
Terrorist attacks bring war to Israel and Gaza [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Early on 7 October 2023, Hamas – the Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip – launched an unprecedented and brutal assault on Israel, killing more than 1 400, mostly civilians, and taking more than 222 Israelis and dual-nationals hostage. Israel has responded by shelling and conducting airstrikes on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, a narrow coastal strip of 2.3 million people, leading to a significant number of casualties, including civilians. Israel has also amassed troops along ...
United States: Domestic violent extremism on the rise
In recent years, the United States (US) has witnessed a growing number of terrorist attacks by domestic violent extremists. Many incidents at large-scale demonstrations across the country have increased the visibility of the problem and provoked strong reactions among civilians, law enforcement and policy-makers alike. When on 6 January 2021 a crowd of supporters of the then US President, Donald Trump, broke into the US Capitol while Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election ...
The coup in Niger: Consequences for EU policies in the Sahel
Adding to a succession of coups in the Sahel region, the 26 July ousting of Niger's democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum is already having major consequences in the region and for the credibility of the African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It also challenges the security architecture that the European Union (EU), France, other EU Member States, such as Germany and Italy, and the United States sought to build in the Sahel to fight terrorism. Jihadist attacks ...
2022 report on Türkiye
Türkiye has long been a key partner for the European Union on issues such as migration, security, counter-terrorism and trade. Following the attempted coup in 2016, however, Türkiye's democratic backsliding led the Council to freeze accession negotiations in 2018. The re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in May 2023, and the 100th anniversary of the Republic founded by Atatürk, point to a need to explore realistic options for future EU–Türkiye relations, within a mutually appealing framework ...