Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership

Aim: Provide an overview of the evolution of Europol’s counter-terrorism capabilities over the last 25 years. Focus on the establishment of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC). Methodology: In this article on counter-terrorism, the methodology employed involves a qualitative approach, l...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Antonio Ortiz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ministry of Interior of Hungary 2024-10-01
Series:Belügyi Szemle
Subjects:
Online Access:https://belugyiszemlejournal.org/index.php/belugyiszemle/article/view/1696
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832582626565685248
author Antonio Ortiz
author_facet Antonio Ortiz
author_sort Antonio Ortiz
collection DOAJ
description Aim: Provide an overview of the evolution of Europol’s counter-terrorism capabilities over the last 25 years. Focus on the establishment of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC). Methodology: In this article on counter-terrorism, the methodology employed involves a qualitative approach, leveraging first-hand experiences and insights from Europol’s operational involvement and institutional development. Findings: Over the past two decades, significant terrorist attacks have profoundly influenced the European Union’s counter-terrorism policies and institutions. These events have accelerated the development of Europol’s dedicated counter-terrorism capabilities, transforming it from an agency with limited operational capacity into a key player in the EU’s counter-terrorism efforts. Europol’s role expanded significantly after 2015 leading to the establishment of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC). The ECTC supports national counter-terrorism efforts through enhanced law enforcement cooperation and operational services, addressing emerging threats like jihadist use of the internet for recruitment and propaganda, through the European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU). Despite progress achieved, counter-terrorism remains primarily a national competence, with Europol playing a supportive role. The continuous evolution of Europol’s strategic and operational tools reflects the EU’s commitment to a collective approach, balancing national prerogatives with the need for coordinated, transnational efforts to combat terrorism effectively. Value: The value of this article lies in its practical insights offering an internal perspective from a seasoned security practitioner focusing on operational and institutional realities as opposed to theoretical frameworks.
format Article
id doaj-art-ffed0a052b8d46408ee2a54f4b556f9c
institution Kabale University
issn 2062-9494
2677-1632
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher Ministry of Interior of Hungary
record_format Article
series Belügyi Szemle
spelling doaj-art-ffed0a052b8d46408ee2a54f4b556f9c2025-01-29T14:33:14ZengMinistry of Interior of HungaryBelügyi Szemle2062-94942677-16322024-10-0172910.38146/bsz-ajia.2024.v72.i9.pp1751-1761Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of PartnershipAntonio Ortiz0Europol Aim: Provide an overview of the evolution of Europol’s counter-terrorism capabilities over the last 25 years. Focus on the establishment of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC). Methodology: In this article on counter-terrorism, the methodology employed involves a qualitative approach, leveraging first-hand experiences and insights from Europol’s operational involvement and institutional development. Findings: Over the past two decades, significant terrorist attacks have profoundly influenced the European Union’s counter-terrorism policies and institutions. These events have accelerated the development of Europol’s dedicated counter-terrorism capabilities, transforming it from an agency with limited operational capacity into a key player in the EU’s counter-terrorism efforts. Europol’s role expanded significantly after 2015 leading to the establishment of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC). The ECTC supports national counter-terrorism efforts through enhanced law enforcement cooperation and operational services, addressing emerging threats like jihadist use of the internet for recruitment and propaganda, through the European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU). Despite progress achieved, counter-terrorism remains primarily a national competence, with Europol playing a supportive role. The continuous evolution of Europol’s strategic and operational tools reflects the EU’s commitment to a collective approach, balancing national prerogatives with the need for coordinated, transnational efforts to combat terrorism effectively. Value: The value of this article lies in its practical insights offering an internal perspective from a seasoned security practitioner focusing on operational and institutional realities as opposed to theoretical frameworks. https://belugyiszemlejournal.org/index.php/belugyiszemle/article/view/1696Counter-terrorismEuropolEuropean UnionInternational law enforcement cooperation
spellingShingle Antonio Ortiz
Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership
Belügyi Szemle
Counter-terrorism
Europol
European Union
International law enforcement cooperation
title Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership
title_full Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership
title_fullStr Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership
title_full_unstemmed Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership
title_short Europol’s Counter-Terrorism Role: over 25 Years of Partnership
title_sort europol s counter terrorism role over 25 years of partnership
topic Counter-terrorism
Europol
European Union
International law enforcement cooperation
url https://belugyiszemlejournal.org/index.php/belugyiszemle/article/view/1696
work_keys_str_mv AT antonioortiz europolscounterterrorismroleover25yearsofpartnership