The European Parliament has recently issued a non-binding resolution regarding the need for a coordinated action by the EU and its Member States to prevent radicalization, recruitment of European citizens by terrorist organization and fight against them. The resolution comes up with concrete proposals for a comprehensive strategy to fight extremism, to be applied in those selected prisons seen as being ‘at risk’, through education and social inclusion or online. The resolution was adopted by 548 votes to 110, with 36 abstentions.
The Parliament specifically proposed creating an EU blacklist of terrorists and terrorist suspects and it also emphasized the need for a common definition of foreign fighters to allow legal proceedings against them once they return to the EU. Parliament moreover wants to ensure that foreign fighters are put under judicial control or administrative detention upon their return until due prosecution and trial take place. These plans stress the importance of obligatory and systematic external border controls. The Parliament also wants exchanges of information between national law enforcement authorities and EUROPOL in order to detect terrorists and suspects. MEPs also call for a common system for exchanging information, such as the Schengen Information System.
The Parliament also reiterated its commitment to agree on EU Passenger Name Records (PNR) by the end of this year although MEPs underline that EU PNR is just one tool in the fight against terrorism and that a comprehensive strategy on counter-terrorism is needed. MEPs also suggested that potential fighters may be confiscated their passports and have their assets frozen. Such preventive measures ought to be accompanied by support systems, for example hotlines where families, friends and communities can get help fast if they are concerned that someone is being radicalized or could be about to join a terrorist organization.
