Preventing radicalisation and enhancing disengagement in the European Union

This chapter examines the EU’s efforts to tackle radicalisation. The specific formulation of its title (i.e. ‘preventing radicalisation and enhancing disengagement’) reflects the EU’s emphasis on preventing radicalisation. Most of the radicalisation-related measures adopted by the EU belong to the ‘Prevent’ dimension of its Counter-Terrorism Strategy, whilst ‘disengagement’ has become more prevalent in recent years, in contrast to ‘de-radicalisation’, which is rarely used in EU official documents. The chapter begins by locating the EU’s efforts to address radicalisation in the wider context of its counter-terrorism policy. It briefly presents the evolution of EU counter-terrorism cooperation in both its policy and institutional dimensions for the benefit of readers who may not be familiar with the EU’s role in counter-terrorism. The following section reflects on the controversial concept of ‘radicalisation’ and how it has been used by the EU. The chapter then delves into the EU’s activities aiming to prevent or counter radicalisation. In that respect, it begins by examining the EU’s strategic thinking towards addressing radicalisation, before examining the main policy measures that it has adopted. The chapter concludes by offering some reflections on assessing the effectiveness of the EU’s measures aiming to address radicalisation.