EU action against radicalisation addresses Member States’ needs, but shortfalls in coordination and evaluation remain
EU support for Member States in their efforts to combat radicalisation is addressing their needs, but there are some shortfalls in coordination and evaluation, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors i. The Commission cannot demonstrate how effective EU-funded counter-radicalisation actions actually are, say the auditors, which means there is a risk of lessons not being learned for the future.
Member States are responsible for their own national security, including the fight against terrorism. They are in charge of designing and implementing measures to tackle radicalisation, where people embrace extremist ideologies and behaviour that could lead them to commit acts of terrorism. The majority of suspects involved in the recent terrorist attacks in Europe were European citizens who had been radicalised. The European Commission supports the Member States in their efforts and helps to ensure the exchange of good practice.
EU support for Member States in their fight against radicalisation is financed by various funds, such as the Internal Security Fund i, the Horizon 2020 Programme, the Justice Programme i, Erasmus+ i and the
“The Commission has coordinated support across its different departments and developed a number of synergies. But there is scope for improvement,” said Jan Gregor, the Member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report. “It has no complete overview of EU-funded actions and the EU funds used do not have indicators or targets to measure success in addressing radicalisation.”