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Counterterrorism in the European Union
In Center for European Policy
Marly Moise
Spring 21
Spring 21
Feb 19, 2021
A section that grasps my attention from the Counter-Terrorism Agenda for the EU was the EU's strategy and agenda for border security when protecting its internal and external borders within the Schengen area and new technologies to support such efforts on page 12. It highlights that EU nations must regulate their borders, as lenient border security opens/ exposes possible threats to communities and nations, while referencing the 2015 Paris terrorist attack orchestrated by foreign terrorist fighters from Syria. Taking into account that many refugees/asylum seekers who enter the EU are from Syria, Iran, and Afghanistan and enter through the sea borders(mainly Greece, Italy, and Spain), was the EU's commissions agenda to tighten border security a reflection of the many EU nations' reluctance to house refugees? I question this because when looking at the European Commission Statistics on migration to Europe and its illegal EU border crossings by nationality for 2019 (https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/statistics-migration-europe_en#illegalbordercrossings) , Syrians and Afghani's made up the majority by 17 and 24 percent. Because of the active war zones and Islamic terrorist presence in counties like Syria and Afghanistan, asylum seekers from those regions have become a negative connotation with an association to terrorism. When looking at the recent October terrorist attacks in France, both terrorists were of refugee status acting in the name of Islam and one was in association with Russian jihadists. Terrorist attacks like these have sparked xenophobic tension and rhetoric towards Muslim migrants and refugees from both EU citizens and politicians, pushing for tight border security.
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Marly Moise

Spring 21
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