EU measures to prevent radicalisation
Although the main responsibility for addressing terrorism lies with member states, the EU has developed several tools to prevent radicalisation.
How the EU counters terrorist propaganda
The EU and its member states are working together to prevent radicalisation in Europe. Radicalisation is not a new phenomenon, but it has become a more serious threat in recent years, especially due to the development of new technologies and the growing use of the internet and social media.
On 29 April 2021, the EU adopted a regulation on addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online.
Competent authorities in the member states have the power to issue removal orders to hosting service providers requiring them to remove terrorist content or disable access to it in all member states. Internet platforms then have to remove or disable access to such content within one hour.
The rules apply to all providers offering services in the EU, whether or not they have their main establishment in one of the member states.
Hosting service providers exposed to terrorist content need to take specific measures to address the misuse of their platforms and to protect their services against the dissemination of terrorist content. The decision as to the choice of measures remains with the hosting service provider.
The new regulation targets content such as texts, images, sound recordings or videos, including live transmissions, that:
- incite or contribute to terrorist acts
- provide instructions on how to commit offences
- solicit participation in terrorist groups
The legislation also provides a definition of terrorist content and clearly sets out its scope in order to ensure full respect of fundamental rights. It also includes effective remedies for both content providers and service providers to submit a complaint when content has been removed.
The new rules will apply as of 7 June 2022.
In 2015, Europol created a special unit to tackle terrorist propaganda on the internet. The EU Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) aims to detect and investigate terrorist and violent extremist content online and to support member states on this matter.
Addressing the dissemination of terrorist content online (infographic)
In 2015, the EU launched the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN). The RAN is a network of over 6 000 frontline practitioners from across Europe, such as teachers, police officers and prison staff, which promotes the exchange of best practices. Among other things, their work aims to improve the understanding of why some people are more vulnerable to radicalisation, and what actions can be taken to protect them.
Since 2015, the EU Internet Forum has brought together EU countries, online platforms, Europol, academia and international partners. It provides a platform to exchange information on trends in and the evolution of terrorists’ use of the internet, as well as - since 2019 - to tackle child sexual abuse online.
Radicalisation in Europe
Most of the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Europe over the last few years were European citizens, born in Europe and radicalised without leaving their home countries.
Radicalisation might happen for different reasons, including religious beliefs, ideologies, political beliefs and prejudices against particular groups of people. The radicalisation of young people continues to be an important concern.
People might be radicalised in different ways: by family members or friends, through direct contact with extremist groups or through the internet.
Online communication technologies have made it easier for terrorists to communicate across borders and have amplified terrorist propaganda and the spread of extremism. Terrorists use social media and the dark web to radicalise, recruit, incite to violence and facilitate the carrying out of terrorist attacks.
Over the last few years, encrypted messaging applications, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, have been widely used to spread terrorist propaganda and to coordinate and plan attacks.
While prisons remain the most fertile ground for radicalisation, some extremist groups have also been recruiting people in schools, universities and places of worship, such as mosques.
What is the EU doing to tackle terrorism?
Take a journey through two decades, exploring how EU countries have been cooperating ever more closely on counter-terrorism: from preventing terrorists from buying weapons or building bombs, right through to trying to counter radicalisation in the first place.
Last review: 7 June 2022