By Syed Qamar Rizvi.
The recent terrorist attacks in Brussels have proven that Europe is facing an era of unprecedented challenges to its security architecture. The migration crisis, the ever approaching armed conflicts and the persistent threat of global terrorism call for immediate attention and urgent response.
The fact of the matter is that the European security mechanism is vertically and horizontally generated among different intergovernmental and transnational institutions via different policy frameworks :Nato; the European defense community; the Common Security & Defence Policy(CSDP) ;European security and Defense policy ESDP ; andthe Organisation of Security Cooperation on Europe (OSCE)
The Role played by the GLOBSEC
GLOBSEC is determined to significantly contribute to the effort of building a better European security and counterterrorism paradigm. For the past several months, this organisation has been working on the GLOBSEC European Security Initiative which is to be presented and thoroughly discussed at the 2016 edition of GLOBSEC.
GLOBSEC puts Central Europe on the map of transatlantic thinking. Regional dimension of the forum is emphasized by the participation of highest level decision- -makers from the visegrad Group and wider Central European region alongside their Euro-Atlantic partners. GLOBSEC moves the region from the periphery to the core of transatlantic policy shaping, giving Central Europe a respected voice in the creation of the transatlantic agenda.
Due to the surge of terrorism on the European continent, which we deeply condemn, Europe clearly needs to rethink and augment its security and adopt a comprehensive strategy that will work across the borders of national states. Very few people in the world are more qualified to propose such measures than those who have been united by GLOBSEC to work on this Initiative. The aim of the Initiative is to create a set of national as well as European-level policy recommendations designed to increase the continent’s capacity to counter this increasingly sophisticated and challenging security threat.
The Initiative is led by the Honorary Steering Committee which unites senior policy-makers from all over the world. It is chaired by Mr Michael Chertoff, former US Secretary of Homeland Security. Other distinguished members of the committee include former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, former UK Home and Defence Secretary Lord Reid of Cardowan and August Hanning, former Director of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND).
The Brussels attacks revealed the shortcomings of the Belgian security establishment, which is relatively small compared to the growing numbers of jihadists returning from abroad authorities must now monitor — on top of a large number of potential terrorists radicalized domestically. For EU member states, the terrorist threat justifies a return to public spending after years of austerity
The European Union faces obstacles to establishing a unified security network. For one thing, the organization’s 28 member states have different priorities, resources, and levels of expertise when it comes to fighting international crime and terrorism. Large countries such as France, the United Kingdom and Germany have significant counterterrorism experience and enough human and material resources to maintain sophisticated intelligence and anti-terrorism agencies. A new paper, Towards a ‘Security Union’: Bolstering the EU’s Counter-Terrorism Response, published on April 20 by the European Political Strategy Centre(EPSC), takes up this issue.
New resolve & reorientation
Despite the discord, additional cooperation on security issues is not impossible for the European Union. In the months to come, agencies such as Europol and Frontex will probably be given more resources, and the European Union will discuss plans for a stronger continental border and coast guard. The European Commission will also push for greater integration among security databases and an increase in security measures at airports. But the bloc will continue to encounter problems related to its fragmented security environment, simply because its very nature makes achieving a coherent response elusive. In fact, future EU governments may choose to reverse some aspects of continental integration to improve domestic security.
Measures to neutralise the financial sources of international terrorism
The European Union and Member States must strengthen their cooperation in order to cut off Daesh’s financial sources. In Spain’s case, improvements are necessary in the area of money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In its 2014 report on Spain, the FATF (Financial Action Task Force, intergovernmental organisation aimed at developing policies to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism) mentioned, amongst other areas where there is room for improvement, the low level of criminal sanctions for money laundering offences in our country; Spain’s refusal to freeze financial assets in the fight against terrorism; the lack of political and operational cooperation among the authorities in charge of export controls and those responsible for money laundering prevention; or the lack of sufficient regulations of financial intermediaries in electronic transfers.
There is a need to fix these shortcomings and to promote and encourage Europe-wide initiatives to tighthen the control of opaque capital flows inside and outside our continent. To that effect Europe will need to contribute to experience and knowledge in the field of financial regulation and control, as well as our tax inspection, intelligence, police, and customs services. In the fight against terrorism, nothing would be more useful than a coordinated action to combat tax havens and reinforce the mechanisms of control and supervision of international capital flows.
Likewise, the Europeans must strengthen the existing legislation and checks in all European countries in matters of arms control so they fully comply with the Arms Trade Treaty and other international treaties. This must also include drastic measures to neutralise the burgeoning black arms market in Europe, as sadly we’re seeing that the weapons used in the attacks are of European origin: Yugoslavian Zastava M70 assault rifles were found in the Bataclan concert hall; the Belgian police raids in Brussels found several AK-47, the Russian origin assault rifle that can be bought for a mere 300 euros in the Balkans, a region that has become a bridge for other markets.
To control this illegal market there arises exigency to establish a harmonised legal framework for arm ownership across the European Union that includes a register of arms sales in each European country, as well as the strengthening of police, intelligence, and judicial cooperation between States.
The response to violence, barbarism, and threats cannot be to sacrifice the core values of our societies, values that result from centuries of advancements and conquests that allow us to enjoy a life in democracy, freedom, and civil rights. Therefore, Europe today needs a different approach that guarantees the effectiveness of police, judicial, and intelligence cooperation within the full respect for human rights and international norms.
Restrictive laws in Spain -such as parts of the Penal Code, the Gagging Law, solitary confinement practices, the reform of universal jurisdiction, the Political Parties Act and so on- that do not contribute to reduce or eliminate the spiral of violence and undermine freedoms and the habeas corpus, must be modified. It is here that the European policy managers must also develop policies to fight against misogynistic violence and inequality in access to rights (including economic, social, and cultural ones) in vulnerable communities, both in Europe and in other countries where radicalisation is taking place.
Novel Approaches to Counter Radicalisation
Governments are too slow to respond to the means that ISIS uses to galvanise and mobilise networks. This calls for novel and innovative approaches to tackling this new security challenge, with a special focus on digital activities, especially at the grassroots level. ISIS exploits the ability of tech-savvy operators to produce attractive and professional propaganda material to justify and promote the idea of jihad. Its bottom-up approach allows it tailor to cultural nuances and operate in as many as 12 languages.
Governments should fight ISIS with its own tools, by helping unleash the potential of individuals and communities to counter ISIS propaganda. This could be done by promoting competitions and hackatons on ‘What is wrong with ISIS?’ To this end, grants and prizes could be given to schools and universities, grass-roots organisations and NGOs to produce counter-narratives. In addition, grants could train and support communities and NGOs to sharpen their digital skills and produce professional Internet-based content with the potential of going viral. Major Internet companies could fund these efforts as a concrete contribution under the framework of the EU Internet Forum, and grants could be operated by a foundation set up with the express purpose to fight radicalisation and offer young people alternative pathways.
Military capabilities
To reach military autonomy and the ability to intervene in the strategic neighbourhood when required, the EU should meet two general targets: i) capacity to support NATO and Nordic, Baltic, Central and Eastern European countries in deterring and countering conventional and hybrid warfare tactics. This entails capabilities for identifying, evaluating and responding to threats through a mix of special, permanent and rapid reaction forces, cyber defence and public diplomacy; and ii) political and military autonomy to conduct intervention operations in order to respond to or deter crises. Such operations will typically be conducted in partnership with regional actors, regional organisations or the UN to protect, inter alia, respect for fundamental rights, the rule of law, the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, as indeed the Union’s own fundamental interests, security and independence (cf. Article 21 TEU). This includes rapid deployment task forces across the three components (air, navy, and army), sustainable logistics, satellite communications, and security of supplies.
Facilitating Political Dialogue on Islam
Europe is home to a large and diverse Muslim population, including a second-generation migrant youth that faces significant challenges of socio-economic and cultural inclusion. Disenfranchisement, discrimination and social exclusion create a fertile ground for radical interpretations of Islam that explicitly reject the core of our common values.
In the framework of the dialogue established by Article 17 (3) TFEU, European Muslim community leaders have a defining role in the fight against radicalisation and jihadism. Their engagement at the local and European level requires positive role-models and outspoken thought-leaders to step into the limelight. The European institutions should play their role in animating and facilitating dialogue within and with the Muslim community. They should support a network and platform for Muslim thinkers in Europe engaged in moderate Islam.
Many in Europe think that EU must create a new security outlook paradigm, In order to solve the problem, other than the specific solutions of raiding one house or another, Europe will need to work on a master plan of close security and intelligence cooperation, and a multi-system program dealing with education and integration. The program needs to also include other states around the world.”
Enhancing transnational security
The transnational nature of new threats implies that development and cooperation policy needs to be an essential part of the basket of tools to ensure security. This would also imply a review of current spending, especially in the Middle East and Africa, both in terms of where money is invested and of how projects are carried out – for example, favouring direct execution of programmes vis-à-vis relying on external consortia.
Recent events have, indeed, uncovered failures in cooperation with partners around the Mediterranean, despite shared concerns. EU home affairs diplomacy and counter-terrorism cooperation must be developed as a matter of priority with essential partners from Turkey to Morocco. They should be encouraged to cooperate with the ECTC network to ensure adequate information sharing and police cooperation, in particular through the Interpol system. A transnational network of liaison officers could also be established in key countries to facilitate law enforcement and judicial cooperation on counter-terrorism, in addition to the experts already deployed by the European External Action Service.
The strategists firmly believe that the time has come for the creation of a European Defence Union (EDU) that supports NATO in its task to provide territorial defence. An ambitious EU foreign policy aimed at reducing instability and state fragility at the Union’s borders will take on and live up to security responsibilities in the strategic neighbourhood through the use of military force and rapid response as needed. It will also stimulate investment in innovative research programmes, leading to the creation of a competitive defence and technological industrial base. Increased unity is the only road to greater EU resilience in a changing world.
The European Council should define a roadmap with practical and realistic steps to move, by stages, from the blueprint to the launch of the EDU. To that end, EU leaders should appoint an independent committee, supported by the EEAS and the relevant branches of the European Commission acting under the authority of the HR/VP, to propose such a roadmap, similar to the approach to create the EMU and involving the attainment of harmonisation criteria and mandatory milestones for upgrades in each basket of reform.
