European Union Study Guide Table of Contents

IVMUN 2016

EUROPEAN UNION STUDY GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC A: The Refugee Crisis and its related matters for EU...... 3 Topic Introduction...... 3 1. The European Union...... 3 2. The Refugee Crisis in EU...... 4 Background Information...... 4 I. The Refugee crisis - Key facts...... 4 1. The migrants’ countries of origin...... 4 2. The migrants’ destinations...... 6 3. The migrants’ way to Europe...... 7 4. The dangerous journeys...... 8 5. Responses from the EU countries...... 9 6. Asylum claims approval...... 10 II. Humanitarian assistance by EU countries and related organizations...... 11 1. The European commission assistance to the refugees...... 11 2. UNICEF’ humanitarian strategies to ensure the rights and needs of children in the Refugee crisis...... 11 Case studies of a few countries...... 12 I. European countries most affected...... 12 II. Case studies of EU countries...... 14 1. Germany...... 14 2. Hungary...... 14 3. Sweden...... 16 4. France...... 16 5. United Kingdoms...... 16 6. Greece...... 17 7. North America...... 17 III. Questions for further consideration...... 18 Bibliography...... 19

1 The Refugee Crisis and its related matters for EU COMMITTEE’S BACKGROUND...... 3 TOPIC B: Terrorism...... 19 TOPIC INTRODUCTION Topic Introduction...... 19 Definition of key terms...... 20

Topic Background...... 21 1. The European Union: 1. Current situtation...... 21 The European Union was originally formed in 1951 under the name The 2. Resolutions, protocols, and organizations...... 21 European Coal and Steel Community by six founding countries Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. In 1957, the Major Blocs and Positions on the issue...... 26 same six countries sign the Treaties of Rome, setting up the European Questions for further consideration...... 28 Economic Community. Over the years, more and more countries decided Bibliography...... 29 to join, and The Union reached its current size of 28 member countries with the accession of Croatia on 1 July 2013. Nowadays, The European Union’s six missions is maintaining and building the peace established between its member states; bringing European countries together in prac- tical cooperation; ensuring that European citizens can live in security; promoting economic and social solidarity; preserving European identity and diversity in a globalised world; and promulgating the values that Eu- ropeans share. Important EU institutions and bodies include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Central Bank, the European Court of Justice and the Euro- pean Parliament. These specialized institutions and bodies always work hard to ensure the EU ultimate missions are fulfilled.

Since its formation, The European Union has substantial accomplish- ments. The EU has always provided peace for the EU citizens; with growing threats to a peaceful society, the EU has introduced several measures to combat the threats of unrest and terrorism. Secondly, the EU has been a leader in the environmental protection; for example, The EU was the leader in the Kyoto Drive aimed to reduce air pollution and in the Copenhagen process aimed to combat global warming. Besides these achievements, the EU has promoted equal opportunities and fought discrimination, as well as procured safer and cheaper air transportation within Member States.

2 3 2. The Refugee Crisis in EU: The European migrant crisis or European refugee crisis began in 2015, when a rising number of refugees and migrantsmade the journey to the European Union (EU) to seek asylum, traveling across the Mediterranean Sea or through Southeast Europe. They came from areas such as West- ern and South Asia, Africa, and the Western Balkans.According to The European Commission , by the end of February 2016, over 1.1 million people – refugees, displaced persons and other migrants – have made their way to the European Union, either escaping conflict in their country and in search of better economic prospects. Many people arrive in the European Union after perilous land or sea journeys and require basic humanitarian assistance, such as provision of clean water, health care, emergency shelter and legal aid. Many of these displaced people are children who have special protection needs. The Refugee Crisis in Europe is a controversial crisis this year, and it calls for urgent policies of the Eu- ropean Nations to protect the safety and the humanity of the refugees.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

I. The refugee crisis - Key facts: 1. The migrants’ countries of origin According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the top three nationalities of the over one million Mediterranean Sea arrivals in 2015 were Syrian (49%), Afghan (21%) and Iraqi (8%).The conflict in Syria continues to be by far the biggest driver of migration. But the ongoing violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, abuses in Eritrea, as well as poverty in Kosovo, are also leading people to look for new lives elsewhere.

Source: BBC

4 5 2. The migrants’ destinations 3. The migrants’ way to Europe The refugees are heading for most developed countries with high living The majority of refugees travel across the Mediterranean Sea or through conditions in the EU. Germany received the highest number of new asy- Southeast Europe to get into European countries. The International Or- lum applications in 2015, with more than 476,000. But far more people ganization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 1,011,700mi- have arrived in the country - German officials said more than a million grants arrived by sea in 2015, and almost 34,900 by land.The EU’s had been counted in Germany’s “EASY” system for counting and dis- external border force, Frontex, monitors the different routes migrants use tributing people before they make asylum claims.Hungary moved into and numbers arriving at Europe’s borders and put the figure crossing into second place for asylum applications, as more migrants made the jour- Europe in 2015 at more than 1,800,000. ney overland through Greece and the Western Balkans. Hungary had Most of those heading for Greece take the relatively short voyage from 177,130 applications by the end of December 2015. Turkey to the islands of Kos, Chios, Lesvos and Samos - often in flimsy rubber dinghies or small wooden boats.

6 7 4. The dangerous journeys 5. Responses from the EU countries Overcrowding is thought to have been one of the reasons for the disaster. Tensions in the EU have been rising because of the disproportionate bur- According to the IOM, more than 3,770 migrants were reported to have den faced by some countries, particularly the countries where the majori- died trying to cross the Mediterranean in 2015.Most died on the crossing ty of migrants have been arriving: Greece, Italy and Hungary. from north Africa to Italy, and more than 800 died in the Aegean cross- In September, EU ministers voted by a majority to relocate 160,000 ref- ing from Turkey to Greece.The summer months are usually when most ugees EU-wide, but for now the plan will only apply to those who are in fatalities occur as it is the busiest time for migrants attempting to reach Italy and Greece. Europe.The number of deaths at sea rose to record levels in April 2015, when five boats carrying almost 2,000 migrants to Europe sank in the Another 54,000 were to be moved from Hungary, but the Hungarian Mediterranean Sea, with a combined death toll estimated at more than government rejected this plan and will instead receive more migrants 1,200 people. The death toll urges the EU to take a comprehensive ap- from Italy and Greece as part of the relocation scheme. proach to tackle the crisis. European countries consent to take part in a relocation scheme and receive refugees from Italy and Greece.

8 9 6. Asylum claims approval II. Humanitarian assistance by EU countries and relat- Although huge numbers have been applying for asylum, the number of ed organizations: people being given asylum is far lower. “The majority of those arriving in January 2016, nearly 58 per cent, were women and children; one in three people arriving to Greece were In 2015, EU countries offered asylum to 292,540 refugees. In the same children as compared to just 1 in 10 in September 2015,” UNHCR’s year, more than a million migrants applied for asylum - although applying Chief spokesperson Melissa Fleming told a press briefing in Geneva. for asylum can be a lengthy procedure so many of those given refugee Women and children are the most vulnerable and may require humani- status may have applied in previous years. tarian assistance such as provision of clean water, health care, emergency center, legal aid and special protection needs.

1. The European commission assistance to the refugees Delivered in line with the humanitarian principles of independence, im- partiality, neutrality and humanity, humanitarian assistance is provided by the European commission to refugees and migrants suffering from conflicts in their countries. The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) addresses the refugee crisis in Europe in different ways: it helps refugees in the transit countries located outside of the EU borders; it puts the EU Civil Protection Mechanism at the disposal of EU Member States and other countries requiring imme- diate material support to cope with the refugee influx; and it is a leading global donor of humanitarian aid in all the main countries refugees arrive from. The European Commission has recently also proposed an instrument for emergency assistance to be used within the EU to provide a faster, more targeted response to major crises, including helping Mem- ber States cope with large numbers of refugees.

2. UNICEF’ humanitarian strategies to ensure the rights and needs of children in the Refugee crisis Amid the Refugee Crisis, children are the most vulnerable of all. Many are travelling with their families, while many others are on their own. Every one of them is in need of protection and entitled to the rights guar- anteed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Migrant children and women, especially those migrating without documentation, are vulnerable to trafficking, abuse and exploitation. In countries of transit and destination, migrants and their families often find themselves victims of discrimination, poverty and social marginalization.

10 11 UNICEF is engaging with EU Member States, UN agency partners and 2. The proportion of refugees over the countries’ population organizations working on the ground to ensure that programs and poli- Although Germany has had the most asylum applications in 2015, Hungary cies in response to this crisis put the rights and needs of all children first. had the highest in proportion to its population. Nearly 1,800 refugees per It is also working to expand humanitarian services at reception centers 100,000 of Hungary’s local population claimed asylum in 2015. in transit countries, including providing water and age-appropriate food, and establishing child-friendly spaces, where children can play and ben- Sweden followed close behind with 1,667 per 100,000. efit from psychosocial support and women can rest and take care of their The figure for Germany was 587 and for the UK it was 60 applications for babies. every 100,000 residents. The EU average was 260.

In order to assist governments as well as partner organizations in those countries where the greatest number of children are on the move, UNICEF is appealing for US$30 million to support the needs of affected children and women through 2016.

CASE STUDY OF A FEW COUNTRIES

1. European countries most affected : 1. The number of refugees seeking for asylum claims in EU countries:

Source: The New York Times

12 13 II. Case studies of EU countries: 1. Germany: 1.1. Current situation: Germany is the country receiving the largest number of asylum applications in Europe, particularly from Syria.

Germany expects the overall asylum requests to soar above the current U.N. count of 98,700 from Syrians alone.

There could be 800,000 applications for asylum in Germany this year, and the country could take 500,000 refugees annually for several years, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel has said.

1.2. Possible solutions: Germany’s asylum practice is to be based on article 16a of the Basic Law. After the development of the migrant crisis, Germany decided to use the derogation possibility of article 17 of the Dublin III Regulation for humanitarian reasons.

However, as Germany faces the largest share of Syrian requests for asylum in Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel called for quotas to be set for each country to take a share of displaced people, including from Syria. “Germany is doing what is morally and legally obliged. Not more, and 2.2. Possible solutions: not less.” - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on September 3,2015. Hungary’s government, which has been trying to stop the flood of migrants, has erected a barbed wire fence along its more than 160-ki- 2. Hungary: lometer (100-mile) border with Serbia to prevent them from crossing 2.1. Current situation: there. The European Commission warned EU members against steps that contravene EU obligations and urged members like Hungary to find Many Syrian refugees are reluctant to register an asylum application in other ways to cope with an inflow of illegal migrants. However, Hungary Hungary. showed no sign of withdrawing its construction of the fence. Having traveled north through the Balkans, those arriving on the coun- On 16 October 2015, Hungary announced that it would close its green try’s border with Serbia have had police greet them, and they’ve been border with Croatia to migrants and since 17 October onward, thou- forced to wait, sometimes for days, in holding areas and transit camps, sands of migrants daily were diverted to Slovenia instead.On 9 March where conditions are said to be poor. 2016 Hungary declared a state of emergency for the whole of the country, and was deploying 1500 soldiers to the borders. Many migrants would prefer to register as refugees in countries such as Germany, Sweden and Austria, continuing their journey through Hunga- “The problem is not a European problem, the problem is a German ry to Northern and Western Europe.

14 15 problem. Nobody would like to stay in Hungary.” – Hungarian Prime “This provides refugees with a more direct and safe route to the United Minister Viktor Orban,on September 3,2015. Kingdom rather than risking the hazardous journey to Europe, which has tragically cost so many lives” he said.

3. Sweden The refugees will receive a five-year humanitarian protection visa, Cam- Sweden joins Germany in demonstrating a high standard of responsibil- eron said. Britain has been the second largest provider of humanitarian ity in the refugee crisis, and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven joined aid to Syrian refugees within the Middle East region,according to U.N. Merkel at a press conference in urging a Europe-wide solution for host- figures. ing refugees. 6. Greece In the 1990s, Sweden accepted 84,000 refugees from the Balkans.”We accept that every person has a right to seek asylum,” Swedish Foreign Greece is the transit country for migrants from the Middle East access Eu- Affairs Minister Margot Wallstrom said. “This also puts the European ropean countries such as French, Germany. As of June 2015, 124,000 solidarity to a test. I think it’s important that we signal being a commu- migrants had arrived into Greece, a 750% increase from 2014, mainly nity that rests on common values of democracy and defense of human refugees stemming from the wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Greece rights.” appealed to the European Union for assistance, whilst the UNCHR Euro- pean Director Vincent Cochetel said facilities for migrants on the Greek 4. France islands were “totally inadequate” and the islands in “total chaos” The number of asylum requests for France has been relatively low. On 27 January 2016, the European Commission accused Greece of But they will surely increase now that French President François Hollande neglecting its obligations to carry out external border controls, saying has said France is ready to take on more responsibility and host 24,000 that a visit by EU inspectors in November 2015 found that Greece was refugees over the next two years. failing to identify and register arrivals properly,

The French leader said this number would be France’s share under a pro- On 1 March 2016, the Greek government asked the EU for 480 million posal by the European Commission for EU nations to take in 120,000 euros in emergency funds to shelter 100,000 refugees. refugees over the next two years. 7. North America “We will do so because it is the principle to which France is committed,” United States Hollande said. About 1,500 Syrian refugees have been admitted to the United States since the start of the conflict in 2011, the vast majority of them this fiscal 5. United Kingdom year. The United Kingdom will likely see an upswing in asylum requests now that it has said it will take up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next Here’s a breakdown: 23 in 2011, 41 in 2012, 45 in 2013, 249 in five years. 2014 and 1,199 so far this fiscal year 2015, which ends September 30, according to the State Department But Britain will focus on resettling vulnerable refugees from camps in countries bordering Syria, not those who have already entered Europe, This equates to a grand total of about 1,800 refugees from Syria’s four- Prime Minister David Cameron said Monday. year civil war being admitted to the United States by October 1 2015, according to U.S. officials.

16 17 In the face of growing questions about such small numbers, President BIBLIOGRAPHY Barack Obama ordered his administration to “scale up” the number of Syrian refugees -- at least 10,000 in the next fiscal year, a White House spokesman said Thursday. 1. Migrant crisis: Migration to Europe explained in seven charts, March 2016 The proposed resettling of at least 10,000 Syrian refugees would be al- http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34131911 located out of a U.S. quota of 75,000 refugee admissions slated for next fiscal year, beginning October 1, a senior administration official said. 2. European Commission: Refugee crisis, March 2016 The United States has given the largest share of aid to the Syrian refugee http://ec.europa.eu/echo/refugee-crisis_en crisis, more than $574 million, or 31% of total aid donated, the United Nations said. 3. UNICEF: Migrant and refugee crisis in Europe, February 2016 http://www.unicef.org/emergencies/index_85510.html

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION 4. The New York Times: Countries Under the Most Strain in the Euro- pean Migration Crisis, September 2015 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/28/world/europe/ countries-under-strain-from-european-migration-crisis.html?_r=2 1. Is your country affected by the Refugee Crisis? If the answer is yes, then to what extent? How many incidents have happened in your country 5. CNN: Syrian refugees: Which countries welcome them, which regarding this crisis? ones don’t, September 2015 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/08/28/world/europe/ 2. What type of impact (political, social, economical, security) does countries-under-strain-from-european-migration-crisis.html?_r=2 the refugee crisis have on your country? 6. Wikipedia: European Migrant Crisis 3. On what stance does your country have in this refugee crisis? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_migrant_crisis Have your country adopted any policies regarding the migration into or out of your country? How have the policies been practiced, and what are their limits. Could you give some suggestions for improvement? Topic B: Terrorism 4. Which organizations in your country hold the responsibility of the migration? What are their attempts to tackle this problem and assist the migrants with basic humanitarian needs?

5. What point of view does your country take regarding the resolutions of some European countries (Germany, Hungary, Greece, etc.) TOPIC INTRODUCTION towards the refugee crisis? Could you give some suggestions for improvement to those countries in their approach to this problem? Terrorism is not any new phenomenon in Europe. Posing a threat to the security, democratic societies, and rights of European citizens, terrorist acts in Europe has been sub-divided into different categories, pertaining

18 19 to the cause from which they result, including religious issues, right wing, ISIS: short for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Islamic State is a salafi left wing or separatist movements. In general, the threat to the Europe jihadist militant group which follows radically the doctrines of Sunni Is- security through means of terrorism is on the increase; and while prior lam. Active since 2013, in the past few years, IS has gained notoriety to 2014, Europe was not the main landfield of terrorism, the devastating for its increased activity in the Middle East. ISIS currently has control event on November 15th, 2015 in Paris, France, has truly put the secu- of Iraq and parts of Syria, also being enough adept at social media to rity of the EU on red alert, calling for the reinforcement and acceleration propagandize about their own group. The Islamic State abides by ex- of the implementation of agreed measures. By dint of the prevalence, treme ideologies, which value violence and fear. Over the years, ISIS has inclusiveness, and inhumanity of this problem, terrorism must be confront- steadily recruited members from not only Iraq and Syria, but also from ed with at a national and multi-national level. foreign countries. ISIS remains financially stable, using questionable meth- Nonetheless, flying in the face of the European Union is a concatenation ods of obtaining money. These methods include kidnapping people for of horrifying events that have begotten significant social unrest. Muslim ransom, donations from worldwide organizations, and profit collected by extremism is alleged to be the cause of radical anti-semetist and anti-US occupying certain areas; while the most notable source of financial inde- aggression, as well as the rationale behind the overwhelming majority pendence is from oil reserves. of terrorist attacks in the past decade. Analysts in UK have stated that al-Qaeda: Founded in 1988, al-Qaeda is a Sunni Islamist global organi- security services are coming to terms with the fact that the Islamic State is zation, originally led by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam, and sev- now gaining additional support in terms of finance and human resource, eral other Arab volunteers. Operating on the basis of Islamic extremism with reports denoting that the strength of the ISIS has been notoriously and Salafist jihadism, it has been designated as a terrorist group by most and unprecedentedly tremendous, it being capable of carrying out pro- of the institutions worldwide, including European Union. Finance for the fessionally planned attacks beyond the Middle East. al-Qaeda has long organization is majorly drawn from Osama bin Laden’s personal wealth, been known to be more or less a constant threat to the security of the EU. while the group itself also uses heroin trades to boost their economy. The A significant death toll is also caused by Islamist terrorism as reported main focus of al-Qaeda’s attacks is, by its strategies and documents, the by Europol. The threat of terrorism in Europe has been higher than it has United States of America and its related nations, many of which are also ever been, demanding a great deal of attention from officials of the mem- member states of the EU. ber states.

Definition of key terms: TOPIC BACKGROUND Terrorism: Although there are no universally accepted notion of terrorism due to modifications to historically dissimilar periods and governments, terrorist acts are believed to be: • The use of violence in order to purport a political and/or religious 1. Current situation ideology; a. Overview • Only committed by non-state actors on behalf of their governments; • Creating tremendous collateral damage, reaching beyond the immedi- ate victims, most of whom are parts of a larger spectrum of society; • Illegal in legislation and morality. Europol: short for European Police Office. Europol is the law enforcement agency of the EU that handles crimes by means of co-operation between member states, which can take the forms of technical enhancement, strategic discussions, and data supply. Europol possesses no executive power, yet it is a beneficent contributor to the measures undertaken by

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V Security and violation of peace are in an alarming state in Europe. In the propaganda on social media, the EU has been interested in how to uti- recent 17 years, there have been 26 successful attacks carried out, and lize it as a means of impeding terrorism, yet no significant movement has the trend is significantly rising towards smale-scale attacks by loners. The been found. ongoing threats to the EU are Islamic extremists, the majority of whom are from heretic groups such as the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda. The Islamic State is specifically accountable for attacks in the recent 2-3 years. Making great use of social media, IS has repeatedly conveyed its CASE STUDY open hostility and also promoted i++++ts beliefs. It has been surprisingly found that several citizens and organizations are indeed moving in favor of the IS. In 2014, the head of the organizations such as De Humani- London attack on July 2005 taærian Hjerter and Perle d’espoir have been arrested and indicted on The London bombings of 7 July, 2005, also referred to as the 7/7, is a suspicion of illegally funding for the IS. Many areas in Austria, Sweden, series of suicide bombings performed by the al-Qaeda, killing at least and other contigent nations, have reported a number of individuals who 56 people and injuring over 700 people. Coinciding with the first day recruit and encourage finance for the IS – Molembeek of Brussels has of the 31st G8 Conference and the week in which London was chosen even been regarded as the Europe jihadists’ central and congregation to host the 2012 Olympic Games, this is also the first suicide bombing in spot for Islamic State’s well-wishers. 8% of muslims in Germany and 16% Western Europe. According to Prime Minister Tony Blair, “The timing of of them in France, Spain, and the UK, publicly supported suicide bomb- the Tube explosions was designed to be at the peak of the rush hour and ing to “defend Muslims”. In Finland, four Finnish citizens were arrested thus to cause maximum death and injury. However, more than death in October, charged with offences including tax fraud in order to finance and destruction were at the root of this act of terrorism.” jihadist activities in Syria and Finland. Digital platforms are also em- Within a matter of minutes after the detonation in the bus and on the ployed as a means to communicate between groups of terrorist. subway, medical care was sent to the locus, while clinic areas were Officials are deeply concerned with the undetectability of terrorist, air prepared for reception of patients. While London denizens’ response to traffic control, and conduct of social media in preventing the advance- the explosion was rather keen and caring, and the aftermath of the ex- ment of terrorists. Many extreme cases have witnessed the implantation plosion, though the economy and transportation of the city were subject of bombs, shrapnels, and munitions into the human flesh, such being to disruption, last no longer than a week, governments were effaced with ignored even after a succession of rigid checking methods. In almost any new questions to consider. As four suicide bombers were later identified, cases in the last few years, people are caught with complete surprise a videotape divulged information on the suspected mastermind of the when the bombs go off, due to the lack of investigation and negation bombing, Mohammad Sidique Khan, and his motives: “[…] Your demo- beforehand. In order to minimize the effects of the extremists’ propagan- cratically elected governments continuously perpetrate atrocities against da on social media, the EU has been interested in how to utilize it as my people […]” The 7/7 bombing does not target any officials, but a means of impeding terrorism, yet no significant movement has been rather ordinary people of arbitrary religion, ethnicity, and social status. It found. also further indicates the trend of future terrorist attacks: with loose orga- Officials are deeply concerned with the undetectability of terrorist, air nization and semi-independent terrorist cells, attacks will be intent upon traffic control, and conduct of social media in preventing the advance- the psychological impact with mass casualties and mass media cover- ment of terrorists. Many extreme cases have witnessed the implantation age; unconventional, self-made weapons will be chosen such as chemi- of bombs, shrapnels, and munitions into the human flesh, such being cal, radiological, and nuclear capabilities; most calamitously, simultane- ignored even after a succession of rigid checking methods. In almost any ity and pervasiveness of different bomb sites will allow the event to have cases in the last few years, people are caught with complete surprise a long-lasting effect, building a global war on terrorism. The London when the bombs go off, due to the lack of investigation and negation attack serves as a commencement of a series of attacks that will continue beforehand. In order to minimize the effects of the extremists’ and grow even stronger.

22 23 Paris attack on November 2015 terrorists and hampering future attacks. Belgium has long been known for On the evening of November 13th, 2015, a group of three co-ordinated being a hub of jihadist recruiters, having a higher proportion of jihadist terrorists killed 137 people and injured another 368, about 80 of whom proponents to total population, due to weak security apparatus and less are seriously hurt, by massive gun-shooting and suicide bombing at cen- developed intelligence agencies. The Belgian Interior Ministry raised the tral Paris. IS later claimed responsibility for the attacks, recognizing them alert level in the country to the highest level following the attacks. In the as a means of retaliation for the French airstrike in Syria and Iraq. week after the event, public transport, air traffic, and trans-national activ- In response to the attack, the president of France said that the act of ities were all brought to a halt. Two nuclear plants were also temporarily terrorism was the act of war, facilitated with the help of EU citizens, evacuated. Other nations worldwide have stated their condolence to Bel- who were ex-soldiers in Syria and might have come back in the flow of gians and immediately tightened their security through means of complete migrants. France was put in the emergency state for the first time since shut-down or thorough check-up. 2005, borders tightened, state services closed, and all activities were EU has associated the conditions in Belgium with maladjustment of Bel- postponed to other days; furthermore, a three-month state of emergency gian laws to the needs of modern counter-terrorism and also limited re- was declared, granting police the rights of scrutiny and arrest without source. EU has further stated that threats of terrorism are not limited to warrant, at the expense of some personal liberties. France launched the any nations, but a pressing problem of the whole EU body. biggest airstrike of Opération Chammal on 15 November, while a security lockdown was imposed in several cities nearby in the wake of the horrendous event. On November 18th, the suspected leader of the at- 2. Resolutions, protocols, and organizations tacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was killed in a raid along with two others. The EU does not run its own counter-terrorist operations, but rather the The attack demonstrated a consummation uncommon among city attacks, Member States alone that carry out anti-terrorist operations. The role of changing the perspectives of the West regarding the threats of violdence. the EU in fighting terrorism, as defined by the Council, is not to supplant Many compare the incident with the Mumbai attacks, in terms of indis- them, but rather to assist the Member States. criminate shooting and the use of improved explosives. High level of European Union Counter-Terrorism Strategy in November 2005 ingenuity is also shown as the Paris attackers committed suicide as soon Insofar, the strategy of the European in combating terrorism has been pre- as capture seemed imminent, and forms of communication unencrypted vention, protection, pursuance, and response, in addition to engagement by the officials indicated not only sophistication, but also the reliance of with other international partners. First and foremost, one of the EU’s top governments on limited data. priorities is to detect and undertake ameliorative measures against the On March 15th and 18th, 2016, police raided on a house in the suburb process by which one is recruited to perform terrorist attacks. EU hankers of Brussels and other areas such as Molembeek. Five people were arrest- after the utmost protection of its citizens, infrastructure, and the preserva- ed in toal: two suspects were injured, one killed, and one identified as tion of its human rights. This includes enhancing transport security, re- an accomplice in the Paris attacks. ducing the vulnerability of cities to attacks and aftermath, as well as protection of borders external to the EU area. With a view to depriving the Brussels attack on March 2016 terrorists of their access to finance and propaganda, thus negating each Considered the deadliest act in Belgium’s history, the explosion on 22 intending terrorist attack beforehand, EU has been constantly striving to March, 2016 killed 35 people (including the three suicide bombers) and augment its communication within its member states, strengthen national inflicted harm upon over 330 citizens. There were three bombings: two capabilities, and improve exchange of information between the police at Brussels Airport and one at Maalbeek metro station. IS once again and the judicial authorities, which consist of the Europol and Eurojust. The claimed responsibility for the attack. Three days of national mourning final objective of EU counter-terrorism is to minimise the consequences of were declared by Belgian government. terrorist attacks - a prerequisite that has forced governments to re-study Officials are working in collaboration with Europol, Eurojust, and Interpol their civil right protection policies and to develop EU crisis and co-ordina- to investigate into the case, alleviating the great harm done by the tion arrangements.

24 25 the usage of passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, de- national relationships. tection, investigation, and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious Germany crime, further stating that it should be adopted before the end of 2015. Germany has adopted several policies, on grounds that the hazard of IS The Commission has also given attention to strengthening firearms con- and al-Qaeda is specifically and increasingly posed to the EU and Ger- trols in the EU, proposing a revision of the former Firearms Directive many itself, being a major centre of financial transactions. The counter-ter- (91/477/EEC), aimed at tightening controls on the acquisition and pos- rorism provisions in German legislation are terrorist offences contained session of firearms. Counter-terrorism methods discussed in the resolution in the German Criminal Code and a constantly growing number of sec- are EU PNR directive, firearms, controls of external borders, information tions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, concerning special investigation sharing, terrorist financing, response to terrorism, prevention of radical- methods as well as restrictions to the rights of defence. Over 25 resolu- ization, safeguarding of the EU’s values, as well as cooperating with tions were amended and properly adjusted to the current situations and international partners. The establishment of ECTC at Europol is also sug- demands for tighter security. On June 20 and on June 30, 2015, new gested. anti-terrorism legislation came into force in Germany, alongside amend- TREVI ments to the Identity Card Act and the Passport Act. Hundreds of police In the face of terrorist threats with sources both within and outside Eu- officers were sent on nation-wide raids in the search of men connected rope, the European Community Member States founded TREVI (Terrorism, to the IS. Many German officials hold a firm conviction that higher level Radicalism, Extremism, and Violence International), which began its of scrutiny is needed, calling for stricter control of immigration amidst the first meeting in 1976. This was largely an intergovernmental forum for influx of Syrian refugees. collaboration outside of the formal treaty structure. Although it lacked a United Kingdom permanent secretariat, TREVI provided the law enforcement authorities in The United Kingdom has been eagerly engaged in the fight against terror- the European Community with a limited, yet useful way to communicate ism. Past policies include Prevention of Terrorism Act in 1974, Terrorism and exchange information on various transnational crimes, as well as to Act in 2000, Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act in 2001, Prevention share best practices to combat them. of Terrorism Act in 2005 and 2006, Counter-terrorism Act in 2008,Ter- The Terrorism Working Group ortist Asset-Freezing in 2010, Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Mea- Terrorism Working Group (TWG) is one of the two Council working sures Act in 2011, and most recently, Counter-terrorism and Security Act groups fully devoted to the fight against terrorism, being composed of in 2015. The latest resolution deals with a myriad of concerns such as representatives of the Member States’ Ministries of the Interior and/or aviation, shipping, and rail, internet data retention, risk of people being law enforcement agencies. TWG meets three to five times per presidency drawn into terrorism, and support for populations vulnerable to terrorism and deals with threat assessments, both internal and external, co-opera- and terrorist attacks. One important amendment made by the resolution tion among EU bodies, and discussion of past, present, and future poli- states that one can be now officially confiscated possession of firearms, cies. explosives, and the certificate of such weaponry. Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 stresses the impor- tance of communication in counter-terrorism methodologies. The intercep- MAJOR BLOCS AND POSITIONS ON THE ISSUE tion of communications, subject to very strict oversight, is a vital tool in the fight against terrorism and serious crimes. RIPA, nonetheless, still has room for improvement. Communications data is the information relating Together with direct, grave sufferers of terrorism, such as France, Bel- to who, when, where and how of a communication, but it does not in- gium, Italy, Bulgaria, and Spain, other nations have also participated in clude its content. As a result, United Kingdom needed to ensure that com- the combat against terrorism, while their experience remains restricted to munications companies in the United Kingdom continued to retain this vicarious or sub-parallel. Member states are now desirous of efficacious crucial information. Some companies had impugned whether RIPA impos- policies that serve to both eliminate terrorism threats and enhance inter- es obligations on companies offering services in the United Kingdom, no

26 27 Intelligence agencies to identify, understand and disrupt threats to the 3. Which organization(s) is your country a member of? In which field(s) UK. do(es) the organization(s) have jurisdiction? What has/have the organi- Greece zation(s) done in terms of amelioration and prevention? What might the Greece has included the fight against terrorism in its primary priorities. organization(s) undertake in the future? According to its report on Counter-Terrorist Capacity (CODEXTER) in 2012, it has strengthened and amended its legislation, in the fields of 4. What have your country done and what can be done in the future to prevention and repression, at the same time respecting human rights. best utilize social media and communication as a means of counter-terror- Furthermore, Greece encourages dialogue between citizens of different ism? nationalities, religions and cultures, so as to foster awareness and inte- gration. CODEXTER further established the legal framework for count- 5. What is your country’s stance on Islamic extremism, al-Qaeda, and er-terrorism strategies, not only accentuating the ultimatum for procedural Islamic State? Is your country anyhow involved with Islamic extremism rules, criminal laws, and institutional framework, but also paving way to and/ or jihadism? Has any investigation been carried out or any cas- refining international co-operation. es been found concerning propaganda and/or funding for extremist The laws remained unchanged in Greece with regard to the envisaged groups? terrorist offences since the CODEXTER, but Article 187B of the Criminal Code, Articles 6 of Law 4267/2014 and 5 of Law 4274/2014 were 6. In which ways has your country tightened control of boundary and amended in 2014. In accordance with the amendments, convicts of immigration? What are the evaluations of your country’s susceptibility to suspicious terrorist planning activities can be acquitted of such charges attacks by foreign terrorists? should they report in advance. In case the individual has already committed any of the crimes referred to in paragraph 1 of Article 187A, the BIBLIOGRAPHY court will consider a reduced sentence. In exceptional cases, the court may order a suspension of the execution of the sentence for a period of Report on terrorism in Europe, 2016 3 to 10 years. Provision of information on the discovery and/or disman- https://www.propublica.org/article/terrorism-in-europe-reading-guide tling of any terrorist organizations or assistance in revealing a terrorist Institutional Framework of the European Union Counter-Terrorism Policy act or fugitives suspected will be considered as mitigating circumstances, Setting, 2015 while the accuracy of this information may affect further prosecution strat- http://mercury.ethz.ch/serviceengine/Files/ISN/31699/ichaptersec- egies with regard to that person tion_singledocument/eb21de41-7615-4903-be09-b663e92666f3/ en/06_07.pdf EU Terrorism – Situation & Trend Report, 2007-2015 QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION https://www.europol.europa.eu/latest_publications/37 EU Response to foreign terrorist fighters and recent terrorist attacks in Europe, 2015 1. To what extent has your country suffered from terrorism? How many http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/fight-against-terrorism/for- incidents have happened in or impacted on your country, and by which eign-fighters/ cause? EU fight against terrorism, 2015 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/fight-against-terrorism/ 2. Has your country adopted any national or multi-national policies in Terror operations: Case studies in terrorism, 2007 order to prevent terrorism? Which beliefs does your country hold in com- https://fas.org/irp/threat/terrorism/sup1.pdf bating terrorism? In which ways have the policies been put into practice, MERIA, Estimates on the global threat of Islamic State Terrorism in the and is there any room for improvements? face of the 2015 Paris and Copenhagen attacks, 2015

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