EU Counterterrorism Strategy: Value Added or Chimera?

Europe did not wake up to terrorism on 9/11; terrorism is solidly entrenched in Europe's past. The 9/11 attacks undoubtedly brought the EU into uncharted territory, boosting existing cooperation and furthering political integration - in particular in the field of justice and home affairs, where most of Europe's counterterrorism endeavours are situated - to a degree few would have imagined some years earlier. This development towards European counterterrorism arrangements was undoubtedly event-driven and periods of inertia and confusion alternated with moments of significant organizational breakthroughs.

The 2005 London attacks contributed to a major shift of emphasis in European counterterrorism thinking. Instead of an external threat, terrorism now became a home-grown phenomenon. The London bombings firmly anchored deradicalization at the heart of EU counterterrorism endeavours.