Policing and prosecuting transnational terrorism: a comparative European perspective

Transnational terrorism has become a pressing security topic on the international political agenda. In recent years, several strategies, policies and legal instruments have been developed at national and international level to deal with this issue more effectively. Within the European Union, common strategies and legal instruments were adopted in order to streamline the efforts of national agencies, such as the police and prosecution services. Building on formerly adopted international norms, the EU has developed a preventive approach against terrorism, as well as encouraged professional networking and training of police officers and prosecutors. The challenge remains that several Member States have not fundamentally adapted national counter-terrorism legislation, and that implementation of EU-legislation has been differentiated across the EU. Increasingly however, cross-border counter-terrorism investigations between trusted partners at bilateral and regional level has smoothened. Nevertheless, weaknesses in cross-border information exchange need to be overcome to improve policing and prosecution of terrorism.