Preventing radicalisation in the European Union: How EU policy has evolved

Summary:

The EU's counter-radicalisation policy dates back to 2004, when the term radicalisation was used in a public EU document for the first time. Since then, policy-makers have gone a long way from focusing almost exclusively on jihadist terrorism to adopting a much broader view to take account of various forms of 'violent extremism'.

The paper describes this evolution, starting with the origins of the concept and the debates surrounding it, walking the reader through the EU's legal, institutional and financial frameworks, and ending with recent policy assessments. It also recounts EU policy developments and presents the issues currently at stake, as extremists continue to seek ways to further their cause and the EU continues its efforts to prevent them.

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