DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS Preventing and countering youth radicalisation in the EU STUDY Abstract Upon request by the LIBE Committee, this study focuses on the question of how to best prevent youth radicalisation in the EU. It evaluates counter-radicalisation policies, both in terms of their efficiency and their broader social and political impact. Building on a conception of radicalisation as a process of escalation, it highlights the need to take into account the relation between individuals, groups and state responses. In this light, it forefronts some of the shortcomings of current policies, such as the difficulties of reporting individuals on the grounds of uncertain assessments of danger and the problem of attributing political grievances to ethnic and religious specificities. Finally, the study highlights the ambiguous nature of pro-active administrative practices and exceptional counter-terrorism legislation and their potentially damaging effects in terms of fundamental rights. PE 509.977 EN DOCUMENT REQUESTED BY THE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL LIBERTIES, JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS (LIBE) AUTHORS Professor Didier BIGO (Director, CCLS – Professor at King’s College, United-Kingdom) Dr Laurent BONELLI (Associate researcher, CCLS – Lecturer at the University of Nanterre Paris X, France) Dr Emmanuel-Pierre GUITTET (Associate researcher, CCLS – Lecturer at the University of Manchester, United-Kingdom) Dr Francesco RAGAZZI (Associate researcher, CCLS – Lecturer at the University of Leiden, Netherlands) RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATOR Ms Sarah SY Policy Department C - Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail:
[email protected] LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN ABOUT THE EDITOR Policy Departments provide in-house and external expertise to support EP committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny over EU internal policies.