Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council concerning terrorist recruitment - Addressing the factors contributing to violent radicalisation
Date: 2005-09-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: anti-discriminatory measure, education, equal treatment, fight against crime, human rights, public awareness campaign, racism, terrorism, xenophobia

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 21.9.2005 
COM(2005) 313 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION 
TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

concerning 

Terrorist recruitment: addressing the factors contributing to violent radicalisation 

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1. 

INTRODUCTION 

“Violent  radicalisation”  is  the  phenomenon  of  people  embracing  opinions,  views  and  ideas 
which could lead to acts of terrorism as defined in Article 1 of the Framework Decision on 
Combating  Terrorism1.  The  recent  terrorist  attacks  in  London  of  July  2005,  and  Madrid  in 
March 2004, have reinforced the priority treatment of addressing violent radicalisation as part 
of a comprehensive approach to the preventive side of fighting terrorism.  

Fighting  terrorism,  in  all  its  forms  and  irrespective  of  the  aims  or  ‘ideals’  it  purports  to 
advance, is also an ideological struggle because terrorism has the potential to subvert the very 
founding principles of the European Union. Although Europe has experienced different types 
of terrorism in its history, the main threat currently comes from terrorism that is underlined by 
an abusive interpretation of Islam. Nevertheless, many of the motivational factors for violent 
radicalisation  and  the  remedies  dealt  with  by  this  Communication  are  equally  valid  for  all 
violent radicalisation, whether of a nationalistic, anarchic, separatist, extreme left or extreme 
right kind.  

The European Union rejects violence and hatred and will never tolerate racism or xenophobia 
in  whatever  form  or  against  whatever  religion  or  ethnic  group2.  As  noted  in  the  Charter  on 
Fundamental  Rights3,  the  Union  is  founded  on  the  indivisible,  universal  values  of  human 
dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity and is based on the principles of democracy and the 
rule  of  law.  It  is  important  to  maintain  the  crucial  balance  between  different  fundamental 
rights in this area, particularly the right to life on the one hand, and the right to freedom of 
expression and privacy on the other. Europe must continue to promote human rights and the 
rule  of  law  and  reject  any  form  of  relativism  insofar  as  fundamental  rights  are  concerned. 
Terrorism  constitutes  one  of  the  most  serious  violations  of  fundamental  freedoms  and  any 
arguments that attempt to justify certain violent practices as an expression of diversity must 
also be unconditionally rejected. 

Interest in this subject has increased in recent years. It is admittedly a very complex question 
with no simple answers and which requires a cautious, modest and well-thought approach. In 
this Communication, the Commission reports on its ongoing work in this area and proposes 
possible  ways  in  which  work  in  various  fields  within  its  competence  could  be  channelled 
more effectively into addressing the issue. The Annex to the Communication merely provides 
a  preliminary  analysis  of  the  possible  factors  contributing  to  violent  radicalisation  and 
terrorist recruitment. Certainly, more in-depth research and analysis into the phenomenon is 
required. 

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3 

Council  Framework  Decision  2002/475/JHA  of  13  June  2002  on  Combating  Terrorism.  Article  1 
provides  that  each  Member  State  shall  take the  necessary measures  to  ensure  that  the intentional  acts 
referred  to  nine  expressly  specified  offences,  as  defined  under  national  law,  which  given  their  nature 
and context, may seriously damage a country or an international organisation where committed with the 
aim  of  seriously  intimidating  a  population,  unduly  compelling  a  Government  or  international 
organisation to perform or abstain from performing an act, or seriously destabilising or destroying the 
fundamental  political,  constitutional,  economic  or  social  structures  of  a  country  or  an  international 
organisation, shall be deemed terrorist offences.  
Article  13  of  the  Treaty  of  the  European  Union,  Council  Directive  2000/43/EC  of  29  June  2000 
implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial and ethnic origin - 
OJ L 180, 19.7.2000, p. 22 - and Council Directive 2000/78/EC of 27 November 2000 establishing a 
general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation - OJ L 303, 2.12.2000, p. 303. 
Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, 2000 - OJ C 364, 7.12.2000. 

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As  specifically  requested  by  the  Hague  Programme4,  this  document  is  the  Commission’s 
initial contribution to the development of an EU long term strategy (whose presentation by the 
Council  is  foreseen  for  the  end  of  2005)  to  address  the  factors  which  contribute  to 
radicalisation  and  recruitment  to  terrorist  activities.  The  actions  and  recommendations 
presented  in  this  document  are  a  combination  of  soft  (e.g  inter-cultural  exchanges  among 
youth) and hard (e.g prohibition of satellite broadcasts inciting terrorism) measures and are to 
be viewed as complementary to, and in support of, current national efforts. The Commission 
however believes that the EU, with its span of policies in various areas that could be used to 
address  violent  radicalisation,  is  well  placed  to  gather  and  spread  at  European  level  the 
relevant expertise that is being acquired by the Member States in addressing this problem. 

This  document  does  not  aim  to  deal  with  criminal  law  initiatives  based  on  Title  VI  of  the 
Treaty  of  the  European  Union  that  already  exist,  as  for  instance,  the  already  adopted 
Framework  Decision  on  Terrorism,  or  the  Proposal  under  discussion  for  a  Framework 
Decision  on  Racism  and  Xenophobia.  That  proposal,  which  the  Commission  urges  the 
Council  to  adopt,  aims  to  ensure  that  intentional  conduct  relating  to  racism  or  xenophobic 
acts,  including  incitement  to  violence  or  hatred,  public  insults,  condoning  racism  and 
xenophobia  and  participating  in  racist  or  xenophobic  groups,  is  punishable  as  a  criminal 
offence in Member States5. 

2. 

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY POLICIES TO ADDRESS VIOLENT RADICALISATION 

The Commission considers that the development and implementation of a European Strategy 
on  violent  radicalisation  will  necessarily  be  a  sustained  effort  and  that  the  measures  being 
proposed,  both  in  the  short  and  long  term,  in  this  Communication  are  not  meant  to  be 
exhaustive in nature. In the future other measures could be proposed, particularly in the light 
of better knowledge acquired on the subject. 

The  core  areas  of  immediate  focus  are  broadcast  media,  the  internet,  education,  youth 
engagement,  employment,  social  exclusion  and  integration  issues,  equal  opportunities  and 
non-discrimination  and  inter-cultural  dialogue.  Furthermore,  in  order  to  acquire  greater 
knowledge  in  the  field,  the  Commission  will  support  more  extensive  analysis  of  violent 
radicalisation  that  will  serve  as  a  basis  for  better  policy-making  in  the  future.  Finally,  the 
external  relations  component  to  tackling  the  problem  is  a  crucial  aspect  of  a  future  EU 
strategy in this area.  

2.1. 

Broadcast Media 

In line with the recently adopted Commission Financing Decision for its first pilot project on 
fighting  terrorism6  (the  “Financing  Decision”),  the  Commission  plans  to  organise  a 
conference  in  the  near  future  on  the  media’s  role  in  relation  to  violent  radicalisation  and 
terrorism.  

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“The  Hague  Programme  –  Strengthening  freedom,  security  and  justice  in  the  EU”,  endorsed  by  the 
European Council in November 2004. 
Proposal for a Council framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia - COM(2001) 664; OJ 
C 75 E, 26.3.2002. 
Commission  Financing  Decision  on  the  Pilot  Project  “Fight  Against  Terrorism”,  adopted  on  15 
September 2005, specifies the way in which the Commission intends allocating the € 7 million budget 
in its counter-terrorism policy. 

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European  law  already  prohibits  incitement  to  hatred  on  grounds  of  race,  sex,  religion  or 
nationality in broadcast7. This includes third country programmes (mostly satellite television) 
if they use either a frequency, satellite capacity or an uplink appertaining to a Member State8. 
Member States are responsible for the implementation of these rules and the recent cases of 
prohibition  to  retransmit  channels  like  Al-Manar  or  Sahar-1  within  Europe9,  show  that  the 
effective application of these rules works quite well.  

On the invitation of the Commission, the presidents of the national regulatory authorities in 
the  field  of  broadcasting  came  together  for  the  first  time  in  March  2005  to  give  a  pan-
European  drive  to  combat  incitement  to  hatred  in  broadcasts.  They  agreed  on  concrete 
measures to strengthen their cooperation, which the Commission will support. They agreed on 
mutual  and  immediate  information  exchange  especially  through  the  establishment  of  a 
working group and a restricted internet forum.  

2.2. 

The Internet  

The  incitement  to  commit  terrorism  is  a  crime  under  the  European  Framework  Decision  on 
Combating  Terrorism  and  the  use  of  the  internet  to  incite  people  into  becoming  violently 
radical or as a vehicle for terrorist recruitment is extremely worrying in view of the internet’s 
global reach, real-time nature and effectiveness.  

The objective to remove terrorist propaganda from the internet can be duly taken into account 
in  the  E-Commerce  Directive10.  Article  3(4)  –  (6)  covers  the  possibility  to  take  appropriate 
measures  against  violent  radicalisation  and  terrorist  recruitment  occurring  via  the  internet. 
This  provision  envisages  case  by  case  derogations  to  the  Internal  Market  clause  which 
Member  States  may  use  to  take  measures,  such  as  sanctions  or  injunctions,  to  restrict  the 
provision of a particular online service from another Member State where there is a need to 
protect  certain  identified  public  policy  interests  such  as  prevention,  investigation,  detection 
and prosecution of criminal offences, including the protection of minors and the fight against 
any  incitement  to  hatred  on  grounds  of  race,  sex,  religion  or  nationality,  and  violations  of 
human  dignity  concerning  individual  persons.  Therefore,  measures  may  be  adopted  against 
services provided illegally in the context of terrorism11. Article 15(2) of the Directive allows 
Member  States  to  establish  obligations  for  information  society  service  providers  to 
immediately  inform  competent  public  authorities  of  specific  alleged  illegal  activities 
undertaken or information provided by recipients of their service.  

Furthermore,  every  Member  State  has  the  obligation  to  ensure  effective  supervision  of 
operators established on its territory and to adopt necessary measures, in accordance with EC 

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Article 22a of Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 1997 on 
the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member 
States  concerning  the  pursuit  of  television  broadcasting  activities  (Television  without  Frontiers 
Directive). 
Article 2(4) of the “Television without Frontiers” Directive. 
The re-transmission of Al Manar by all relevant EU Member States with satellite capacity, in this case 
France (Eutelsat), the Netherlands (NSS) and Spain (Hispasat), has been prohbited. 
Directive  2000/31/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  of  8  June  2000  on  certain  legal 
aspects  of  information  society  services,  in  particular  electronic  commerce,  in  the  Internal  Market 
(Directive on electronic commerce) - OJ L 178, 17.7.2000, p. 1. 
Communication  to  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament  and  the  European  Central  Bank  on  the 
application  to  financial  services  of  Articles  3(4)  to  (6)  of  the  Electronic  Commerce  Directive  - 
COM(2003) 259. 

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law, to prevent criminal activities. The use of the internet in relation to violent radicalisation 
will also be discussed in the framework of the E-commerce Expert Group meeting planned in 
November 2005.  

What  is  more,  Member  States  are  allowed  to  require  an  access  and  (mere)  transmission 
provider12,  as  well  as  caching13  and  hosting  service  provider14  to  terminate  or  prevent  an 
infringement15.  In  particular,  national  courts  and  administrative  authorities  may  issue 
injunctions  requiring  the  removal  of  illegal  information  or  the  disabling  of  access  to  it. 
Furthermore, black lists, based on clear criteria laid down by law to define which content is 
illegal, have been drawn up by certain bodies or police forces in some Member States to assist 
ISPs in identifying sites hosting illegal content (such as child pornography or racist content) 
and  are  being  used  by  ISPs  on  a  voluntary  basis.  This  type  of  self-regulatory  practice  is  an 
example  that  could  be  transposed  to  the  prevention  of  violent  radicalisation  and  which 
Member States could share with others. 

The  Commission  encourages  Member  States  to  make  use  of  the  enabling  provisions  in  the 
Directive in the most effective way to address violent radicalisation in Europe. In view of the 
importance  of  maintaining  the  delicate  balance  with  the  internal  market  principles  of  this 
Directive,  the  exchange  of  good  practices  and  expertise  in  this  area  is  crucial.  The 
Commission  is  willing  to  gather  such  Member  State  practices  and  to  examine  the  need  of 
adopting a guidance document. 

2.3. 

Education, youth engagement and active European citizenship 

Programmes targeted at youngsters in their most formative years and at an age in which they 
are  most  vulnerable  to  fall  prey  to  violently  radical  ideas,  can  have  very  fruitful  outcomes. 
The  promotion  of  cultural  diversity  and  tolerance  can  help  to  stem  the  development  of 
violently radical mind-sets.  

An objective of the “Youth” Programme is “to develop understanding of the cultural diversity 
of  Europe  and  its  fundamental  common  values,  thus  helping  to  promote  respect  for  human 
rights  and  to  combat  racism,  anti-Semitism  and  xenophobia.”  The  European  Commission 
ensures that such themes are regularly applied to calls for innovative projects. The “Youth” 
programme  therefore  contributes  towards  preventing  violent  behaviour  from  taking  root  in 
young people. 

The  “Culture”  Programme  also  finances  activities  linked  to  the  promotion  of  intercultural 
dialogue  as  well  as  activities  to  enhance  the  cultural  diversity  of  Europe  by  promoting 
understanding  among  people  from  different  countries.  Promoting  intercultural  dialogue  will 
be one of the axes of the proposed new programme “Culture 2007”16.  

At  the  same  time,  the  Commission  is  carrying  out  many  projects  under  the  “Socrates” 
Programme  which  deal  with  developing  concepts  of  European  citizenship  and  inter-cultural 
understanding  that  enable  people  coming  from  different  backgrounds  to  share  a  common 

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Intermediaries defined in Article 12(1) of the E-Commerce Directive (mere conduit). 
Intermediaries defined in Article 13(1) of the E-Commerce Directive. 
Intermediaries defined in Article 14(1) of the E-Commerce Directive. 
Articles 12(3), 13(2) and 14(3) of the E-Commerce Directive. 
Proposal  for  a  decision  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  establishing  the  Culture  2007 
programme (2007-2013) - COM(2004) 469, 14.7.2004. 

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European  identity  that  nonetheless  respects  and  promotes  cultural  diversity.  These  activities 
are  treated  in  more  detail  in  the  school  and  adult  education  actions  of  the  programme 
(“Comenius” and “Grundtvig”). One of the objectives of these programmes, that of promoting 
“intercultural  awareness”,  contributes  in  some  ways  to  addressing  the  problem  of  violent 
radicalisation of marginalised and ‘hard to reach’ groups in society.  

The Commission has recently launched a proposal to adopt a new programme “Citizens for 
Europe”  to  promote  active  European  Citizenship17  and  one  of  its  objectives  is  to  enhance 
mutual understanding between European citizens respecting and celebrating cultural diversity, 
while  contributing  to  intercultural  dialogue.  If  adopted,  the  Union  would  provide  financial 
assistance  to  organize  events,  create  networks  and  promote  exchange  of  good  practices, 
notably  to  celebrate  Europe’s  fundamental  values  and  major  achievements  thereby 
contributing  in  an  indirect  way  to  the  array  of  soft  measures  against  violent  radicalisation. 
Furthermore, the Commission has launched a civil society dialogue between the EU and the 
candidate  countries  to  enhance  mutual  understanding  and  to  bring  citizens  and  different 
cultures closer together. 

2.4. 

Encouraging Integration, Inter-cultural Dialogue and Dialogue with Religions 

2.4.1. 

Integration  

In  the  majority  of  cases,  third-country  nationals  have  integrated  well  within  the  Member 
States  of  the  EU.  However,  if  integration  fails  it  can  provide  fertile  ground  for  violent 
radicalisation  to  develop.  As  discussed  in  the  Annex,  alienation  from  both  the  country  of 
origin and the host country can make it more likely for a person to look for a sense of identity 
and belonging elsewhere such as in a powerful extremist ideology.  

Integration  policies  -  which  are  stand-alone  polices  having  their  own  specific  goals  –  could 
have  positive  ancillary  effects  on  preventing  violent  radicalisation.  The  Commission  is 
committed  under  the  framework  of  the  Hague  Programme  to  take  action  to  promote  more 
vigorous integration policies within the Member States for third country nationals, based on 
the  implementation  of  the  Common  Basic  Principles  on  Integration  adopted  by  the  JHA 
Council  in  November  2004.  The  Commission  has  set  out  its  proposals  in  a  Communication 
adopted  in  September  200518.  Under  the  financial  perspectives  2007-2013,  the  Commission 
has  also  proposed  a  European  Fund  for  the  Integration  of  third-country  nationals  aimed  to 
cover targeted actions in this area. 

A  holistic  approach  to  integration  is  necessary  that  includes  not  only  access  to  the  labour 
market for all groups but also measures which deal with social, cultural, religious, linguistic 
and national differences. The right to non-discrimination, as further developed by the EU anti-
discrimination  Directives19,  is  also  a  key  aspect  of  integration.  While  20%  of  the  European 
Social  Fund  budget  is  already  being  allocated  to  improving  equal  opportunities  in 

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Proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and the Council establishing for the period 2007-
2013 the programme “Citizens for Europe” to promote active European citizenship - COM(2005) 116, 
6.4.2005. 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament,  the  European 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions:  A  Common  Agenda  for 
Integration  –  Framework  for  the  Integration  of  third-country  nationals  in  the  European  Union  - 
COM(2005) 389, 1.9.2005. 
Council Directive 2000/43/EC and Council Directive 2000/78/EC, see footnote 2. 

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employment  for  disadvantaged  groups,  other  policies  that  may  prove  helpful  relate  to 
increased regeneration of, and accessibility to, deprived areas and neighbourhoods, improved 
housing  conditions,  encouraged  access  to  education  and  protection  from  social  exclusion. 
Furthermore, a fulfilling quality of life and ensuring individuals are engaged with society, on 
a personal level, are key to preventing recruitment to radical groups (see Annex).  

2.4.2.  Dialogue between the State and Religions 

Dialogue  is  not  often  spontaneous,  especially  when  dealing  with  important  values  and 
principles. It is therefore necessary to learn how best to exchange views and opinions and to 
create a method of communication to eliminate barriers and develop understanding of cultural 
diversities  based  on  religious  ideas  (particularly  when  dealing  with  radical,  extremist  and 
fundamentalist  concepts).  This  is  both  of  general  interest  and  a  necessary  condition  for 
starting inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue from a solid basis. 

The  EU  respects  and  does  not  prejudice  the  status  under  national  law  of  churches  and 
religious  associations  or  communities  in  the  Member  States  (Declaration  No  11  to  the 
Amsterdam  Treaty).  The  relationship  between  the  State  and  Churches  and  religious 
associations  is  not  an  EU  competence.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  a  tradition  of  dialogue 
the  Commission  and  religions,  churches  communities  of  conviction.  The 
between 
Commission has for some years established a wide network of different contacts with a large 
number  of  confessional  and  non-confessional  partners.  On  a  regular  basis  the  Commission 
organises  conferences,  seminars  and  other  sorts  of  meetings  to  strengthen  the  mutual 
understanding and to promote European values. In 2003, a Conference of EU Home Affairs 
Ministers was held on “The inter-faith dialogue – a social cohesion factor in Europe and an 
instrument  of  peace  in  the  Mediterranean  area”20  whose  aim  was  to  discuss  establishing  a 
“European  Forum  for  inter-faith  and  faith-governments  dialogue”.  The  Commission,  for 
instance, organised a conference on anti-Semitism in February 2004 where the pledge to fight 
and monitor anti-Semitism was reinforced by the European Union. 

The Commission will build on some of these initiatives in order to discuss further those that 
can potentially be linked to the prevention of violent radicalisation. 

2.4.3.  European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 

The  Commission  will  launch  a  proposal  to  establish  2008  as  the  European  Year  of 
Intercultural Dialogue. The Year aims at making Europeans sensitive to the questions related 
to the Intercultural Dialogue as well as to use better EU programmes in promoting the positive 
values  resulting  from  such  a  Dialogue.  Topics  raised  in  this  Communication  could  be  the 
object of particular attention at the events to be supported by the Union during the Year. 

2.5. 

Law enforcement authorities and security services 

Schemes  should  be  considered  which  involve  the  police  and  law  enforcement  authorities 
engaging  more  at  the  local  level  with  youth.  Those  Member  States  that  promote  the 
recruitment of people from different backgrounds should also encourage other Member States 
to  do  so  by  sharing  their  best  practices,  even  in  those  Member  States  that  do  not  officially 

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Held in Rome, 30-31 October 2003. 

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identify  ethnic  minorities.  This  could  be  a  way  of  improving  mutual  understanding  and 
respect between people across all Member States.  

More preventive work in the area of counter-terrorism should be encouraged across Member 
States, along with further cooperation between operational, intelligence and policy levels. The 
Commission  urges  Member  States  that  have  already  attained  good  results  to  share  their 
experiences and best practices with others via EU structures. Member States have obligations 
to  cooperate  with  bodies  like  Europol  while  cooperation  with  the  Joint  Situation  Centre 
(SitCen)  is  also  strongly  encouraged.  As  regards  policy  initiatives,  the  Commission  will 
gather  and  assess  the  Member  States’  best  practices  and  consolidate  them  into  periodic 
guidelines for all the Member States.  

2.6. 

Experts Networks 

In  line  with  the  recently  adopted  Commission  Financing  Decision,  the  Commission  will 
allocate funds to  establish a network  of experts  for the  sharing of research  and policy ideas 
which  will  submit  a  preliminary  contribution  on  the  state  of  knowledge  on  violent 
radicalisation in the beginning of 2006. 

The  Commission  will  also  launch  a  public  tender  for  studies  in  this  area  that  will  include 
‘motivational  and  desisting  factors  for  violent  radicalisation’  and  ‘socio-economic  factors 
contributing to violent radicalisation’. It is possible that the Pilot Project will be continued in 
2006.  Both  the  networks  and  the  studies  will  inter  alia  take  stock  of  research  completed  or 
ongoing  in  the  EC  Framework  Research  Programme  and  other  research  programmes.  Such 
stock-taking of relevant knowledge should also be pursued in the ‘Security and Safeguarding 
Liberties’  Programme  for  the  future  financial  perspectives  and  new  research  in  this  domain 
should be pursued in the 7th Framework Research Programme.  

2.7.  Monitoring and collection of data 

The Commission has consulted the Network of Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights 
and  has  received  feedback  in  the  form  of  a  study21  about  the  link  between  violent 
radicalisation and fundamental rights within the legal framework of Member States.  

The Commission will utilise the expertise of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and 
Xenophobia  (EUMC)  in  areas  such  as  migrants'  experiences22,  racist  violence23  and 
Islamophobia24.  The  Commission  will  also  ask  the  EUMC  for  studies  on  different 
manifestations  of  hatred  towards  fundamental  constitutional  values  of  the  EU  such  as 
religious freedom and equality between men and women. Furthermore, the transformation of 
the EUMC into a Fundamental Rights Agency will widen the possibilities for reaching wider 
areas (for instance, police interaction with different communities). 

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‘The  requirements  of  fundamental  human  rights  in  the  framework  of  the  measures  of  prevention  of 
violent  radicalisation  and  recruitment  of  potential  terrorists’  –  Opinion  no.  3-2005,  23.8.2005; 
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/cfr_cdf/index_fr.htm. 
The EUMC is currently preparing a report on “Migrants’ Experiences of Racism and Discrimination”. 
The EUMC presented in April 2005 a report on Racist Violence in the 15 Member States. 
The EUMC is currently preparing two reports on this issue. 

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2.8. 

External relations 

Dialogue  with  and,  where  appropriate,  technical  assistance  to  third  countries  and  regional 
partners  has  to  be  an  integral  part  of  our  approach  to  addressing  violent  radicalisation  and 
terrorist recruitment. As part of its external policy, the EU already has an active role albeit in 
an  indirect  way.  The  Community  and  Member  States  together  are  the  largest  donors  of 
development aid in the world which, in addition to its primary development role, also helps to 
address some of the root causes of the emergence of terrorism. Development assistance can 
help erode the support base for terrorist networks and movements through a focus on reducing 
inequalities, support for democratisation and respect of human rights in addition to actions on 
good governance, the fight against corruption and security system reform. 

Furthermore, steps must be taken to prevent state fragility at an early stage, before a possible 
‘breeding ground’ for terrorism might emerge. The Community will step up its assistance to 
support  partner  countries’  and  regional  organisations’  efforts  to  strengthen  early  warning 
systems, governance/institutional capacity building and promotion of human rights protection 
to enable them to engage effectively in a preventive approach. It will also improve its ability 
to  recognize  early  signs  of  state  fragility  through  improved  joint  analysis,  joint  monitoring 
and assessments of difficult, fragile and failing states with other donors25. This is an integral 
part of a comprehensive external action approach to security and development.  

In the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), the EU action plans with the 
Mediterranean  countries  include  a  number  of  anti-radicalisation  measures.  Possible  factors 
contributing to the radicalisation of populations have been addressed on numerous occasions, 
during bilateral and regional exchanges. This dialogue can be deepened in the framework of 
the institutions created by the Association Agreements with Mediterranean countries.  

More widely, there is a need to better promote cross-cultural and inter-religious understanding 
between  Europe  and  third  countries,  particularly  those  in  which  Islam  is  the  predominant 
religion.  Since  terrorists  often  target  also  moderate  Islam,  it  is  important  to  reach  out  to 
moderate  Islamic  regimes  and  organisations  in  cooperating  on  anti-terrorism  policies.  In 
addition, supporting moderate Islamic groups and moderate Islamic thinking both at home and 
abroad  can  contribute  to  limiting  support  for  extremism  and  therefore  reduce  the  scope  of 
terrorist recruitment.  

The Commission is giving greater prominence to the need to fight racism and xenophobia in 
its  cooperation  with  third  countries  in  the  field  of  human  rights.  This  is  reflected  in  the 
funding priorities established under the EU's European Initiative for Democracy and Human 
Rights26, a thematic instrument complementary to the political dialogue and country strategies 
agreed  with  partner  countries'  governments.  The  EU  could  adopt  the  same  approach  in 
promoting the values on which it is based to other states without, however, imposing any of 
its own models on them. 

25 

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See  also  COM(2005)  311  "Proposal  for  a  Joint  Declaration  by  the  Council,  the  European  Parliament 
and the Commission on the European Union Development Policy "The European Consensus". 
European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights Programming Document 2002-2004. Adopted by 
the 
2001. 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/human_rights/doc/eidhr02_04.htm 

Commission 

December 

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3. 

CONCLUSION  

The  Commission  is  hereby  providing  its  initial  contribution  to  an  EU  strategy  being 
developed in the area. It has explained how various EU policies could be channelled or made 
better use of, to help address the possible factors contributing to violent radicalisation. While 
aware of the long-term nature of this effort, and of the need for refining the approach as more 
knowledge on the subject is gained, the Commission is determined to complement and sustain 
the  actions  of  the  Member  States,  their  regions  and  localities  in  trying  to  create  an 
environment that is hostile towards violent radicalisation.  

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Introduction 

ANNEX  

Violent Radicalisation is defined under section 1, above. In order to understand its historical 
and psychological roots one needs to look at a wide range of movements, organisations and 
struggles, with political, religious, national and ethnic motivations, or combinations of these. 
Radicalisation has become a particular area of focus due to its link with combating terrorism. 
Europe has a long experience of fighting terrorism. Examples such as the ETA, the IRA and 
the  Brigate  Rosse  come  to  mind.  Terrorists  under  many  guises  and  invoking  different 
ideologies  and  motives  have  claimed  victims  in  many  Member  States.  The  ideologies  and 
propaganda  have  varied  and  included  extremism  of  different  types  –  whether  from  the 
extreme  left  or  right,  anarchist  and  religious  or  in  many  cases  nationalist.  All  these  groups 
have  tried  to  terrorise  democratic  societies  to  concede  political  transformations  by  non-
democratic  means.  While  they  sometimes  invoked  aspirations  shared  by  wider  parts  of  the 
population, the use of terrorism has always been rejected both by societies as a whole and by 
the very groups whose interests the groups purportedly sought to promote. 

Terrorism  is  never  legitimate.  It  therefore  always  attempts  to  justify  itself  by  abusively 
referring  to  views,  aspirations  or  beliefs  which  may,  themselves,  be  legitimate  and  which  it 
most  often  insidiously  deforms.  The  Commission  believes  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
“Islamic  terrorism”,  nor  “catholic”  nor  “red”  terrorism.  None  of  the  religions  or  democratic 
political  choices  of  European  citizens  tolerates,  let  alone  justifies,  terrorism.  The  fact  that 
some individuals unscrupulously attempt to justify their crimes in the name of a religion or an 
ideology cannot be allowed in any way and to any extent whatsoever to cast a shadow upon 
such  a  religion  or  ideology.  Stating  this  fact  clearly  is,  in  the  Commission’s  view,  the  first 
requirement for the Union in the fight against violent radicalisation. 

In the recent past, terrorist groups, abusively claiming their legitimacy in the name of Islam, 
have been known to operate both within and outside Europe and often reasons for their acts 
are claimed to be related to political situations. Both military and civilians have been victims 
within Europe of terrorist attacks. Terrorist organisations are known to have had cells within 
Europe,  long  before  the  Madrid  train  attacks  on  11  March  2004  or  the  London  attacks  of  7 
July  2005.  There  are  also  alleged  links  between  those  who  orchestrated  the  World  Trade 
Centre and Pentagon attacks, and the Madrid attacks. To date, it appears that organisations are 
trans-national,  logistically  well  organised  and  well-funded.  Moreover,  the  range  of 
nationalities involved in various stages of the sophisticated organisation of the attacks indicate 
how  global  such  terrorist  organisations  have  become  and  also  indicates  how  those  involved 
may  be  European  citizens,  whose  motivations  defy  simplistic  categorisation;  not  being 
socially-excluded,  socio-economically  disadvantaged,  unemployed  or  living  in  deprived 
suburbs of large cities or inner-city housing estates, or from immigrant families. 

It is important to remember that certain regional terrorist activities, such as attacks related to 
the Israel-Palestine conflict, are not necessarily linked to global networks and should not be 
automatically  discussed  together,  or  be  seen  to  be  carrying  out  “joined-up”  terrorist  acts 
together  for  one  cause.  The  common  “religious”  denominator,  and  the  actual  religion  itself, 
are  often  not  the  basis  upon  which  attacks  have  been  carried  out.  Small-scale  organisations 
and groups across Member States advocate radical beliefs or encourage young people to take 
social  or  political  action  against  Islamophobia  or  perceived  anti-Islamic  politics.  The  same 

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goes  for  radical  beliefs  (often  voiced  in  verbally  violent  terms)  against,  for  instance, 
immigration  or  globalisation.  Not  all  the  groups  that  express  such  beliefs  carry  out  terrorist 
attacks. Those who do, however, often exist at local levels within Member States, as opposed 
to  globally  with  sophisticated  financing,  sponsorship  and  planning.  Terrorist  organisations 
and networks rely on volunteers, logistical networks and funds from others who have raised 
money  as  they  have  similar  views.  They  also  have  been  known  to  deal  in  other  areas  of 
organised crime, in order to finance terrorism27. 

There is also a potential distinction between trans-national groups having funds and logistics, 
on the one hand, and local or independent groups able to conduct small-scale operations, on 
the  other.  This  distinction  is  the  ideological  and  operational  influence  exerted  by  organised 
groups  on  locally-based  groups.  The  success  recorded  by  the  organised  ones  and  their 
diffusion through the global information society is an incitement to actions for smaller groups. 

1. 

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO RADICALISATION 

The reasons for becoming involved in groups which use terrorism against others as a way of 
expressing  their  ideas  often  stem  from  a  combination  of  perceived  or  real  injustice  or 
exclusion. Focusing on fighting under a common political, religious, national or ethnic banner 
enables  people  to  find  affiliations  with  groups,  and  with  these  groups,  carrying  out  acts  of 
violence  can  become  part  of  partaking  in  a  cause.  Other  reasons  can  be  found  in  the 
misinterpretation of writings or ideologies, or gaps between what one reads or has been told 
and the reality of ones contemporary social context.  

On  a  more  individual  psychological  level,  not  feeling  accepted  in  society,  feeling 
discriminated against and the resulting unwillingness even to try to identify with the values of 
the society in which one is living, can also lead to feelings of alienation or low self-esteem – a 
gap which might also be filled by making contact with the powerful ideals and purpose-driven 
motivations  of  certain  groups  or  movements.  Often  the  desire  to  engage  with  a  particular 
locus  of  identity  that  represents  one’s  opinions  can  be  a  powerful  motivating  force.  The 
phenomenon  is  very  much  similar  irrespective  of  the  powerful  ideal;  be  it  neo-nazism, 
nationalist or separatist causes, social revolution or extreme interpretations of religions. It is 
clear that not all those who come into contact with radical groups will in turn become radical 
themselves.  The  number  of  people  who  actually  try  to  commit  terrorist  acts  of  whatever 
nature  or  gravity  is  small.  It  is  important  to  keep  in  mind  that  it  is  always  possible  for  an 
individual  to  renounce  violent  radicalisation,  and  many  do.  A  successful  policy  to  combat 
violent radicalisation needs therefore to understand such processes, but never justify violence. 

One  needs  to  investigate  the  ease  by  which  people  come  into  contact  with  violent  radical 
groups.  Some  come  into  contact  with  them  when  they  go  to  university.  Away  from  the 
familiar environment and support structures of friends and family they start to become aware 
of  politics  and  pressure  groups.  Those  looking  for  recruits  often  take  advantage  of  this 
situation. Others find them and are influenced when they are surfing the internet, via entering 
chat  rooms  or  reading  inflammatory  articles  on  websites,  which  encourage  and  motivate 
people  into  wanting  to  change  situations  of  perceived  injustice  or  inequality.  Places  of 

27 

Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on the Prevention of and the Fight against 
Terrorist Financing - COM(2004) 700. 

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worship  or  political  party/organisation  cells  can  also  be  breeding  grounds  for  terrorist 
recruitment,  as  in  a  similar  way,  they  can  become  places  where  people  become  exposed  to 
new  ideas  through  sermons  or  lectures.  Of  those  individuals  who  do  become  involved  in 
groups  or  organisations,  not  all  will  then  actually  become  ready  to  act  on  certain  beliefs  or 
opinions, or be influenced by what they hear and subsequently become involved in terrorist 
activities.  It  is  the  very  small  proportion  of  people  who  actually  go  from  being  radical  to 
wanting to carry out terrorist acts that should be kept in mind during discussions on violent 
radicalisation. However, an awareness of the causes of the problem is important. 

Those  people  who  attempt  to  influence  others  into  joining  terrorist  groups  should  also  be 
investigated and fought with determination. The Commission is already working to find ways 
of preventing the financing of terrorism through charities and non-profit organisations.  

The  role  of  media  is  significant  in  this  area  in  a  number  of  ways.  Firstly,  some  media  – 
notably radio, satellite television and the internet - disseminate propaganda which contributes 
to  violent  radicalisation.  Typically  this  conveys  a  reductionist  and  conspiratorial  worldview 
where  inequity  and  oppression  are  dominant  and  entire  countries,  religions  or  societies  are 
depicted in a way which denies them human dignity and presents them as collectively guilty. 
Some form of self-regulation principle or possible code of conduct within the media might be 
beneficial.  

Secondly, the media can play a role in facilitating recruitment into terrorist groups, by giving 
expression to terrorist views and organisations and facilitating the contact between radicalised 
individuals, e.g. via the internet. 

Thirdly, the media have an influence in the way they inform the general public about terrorist 
acts. Terrorism exploits  open societies and the media are the main vehicle through which it 
attempts  to  affect  citizens  and  leaders  alike.  Journalists  face  the  difficult  responsibility  of 
reconciling their duty to inform the public with the need not to facilitate the aims of terrorists. 
These  concerns,  which  are  not  new,  remain  an  issue  of  reflection  within  the  profession. 
Moreover,  if  certain  groups  feel  they  are  being  targeted  via  the  media,  this  might  reinforce 
their desire to become hostile in return. 

Investigating  the  means  by  which  terrorist  cells  or  networks  develop  today  and  maintain 
themselves  -  facilitated  by  global  communications  such  as  the  internet  and  mobile  phones  - 
and  what  factors  enable  new  recruits  or  volunteers  to  become  involved  are  also  areas  for 
analysis  investigated  since  the  emergence  of  political  terrorism  in  the  70’s  and  the 
development  of  modern  technologies.  Based  on  this  previous  work  and  on  detailed  studies 
made  by  security  forces  of  the  radicalisation  process  of  every  suspected  terrorist  placed  in 
custody, research must now turn to the development of new tools – both operational and legal 
–  for  those  involved  in  the  fight  against  this  process.  Such  new  tools,  eg.  the  standard 
questionnaires developed by the G8 Practitioners group, should be used by law enforcement 
and  security  services  to  carry  out  a  detailed  study  of  the  radicalisation  process  of  every 
suspected  terrorist  placed  in  custody  and  to  provide  useful  and  comparable  information  to 
understand  more  precisely  the  factors  intervening  in  the  radicalisation  process  and  terrorist 
recruitment.  

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Security  services  and  police  forces  within  the  Member  States  have  been  studying  the 
phenomenon  of  violent  radicalisation  concentrating  on  recruitment  hotspots  like  prisons, 
religious centres and schools. We should therefore draw upon such expertise but at the same 
time not limit ourselves to it.  

2. 

ROOT CAUSES OF RADICALISATION 

Precisely identifying the root causes of violent radicalisation is a very hard task and experts 
are  only  starting  to  understand  the  phenomenon.  Violent  radicalisation  can  often  be  a 
combination  of  an  individual’s  negative  feelings  of  exclusion,  existing  alongside  positive 
mobilising feelings about becoming part of a group and taking action for change. 

Social  factors  such  as  exclusion  -  perceived  or  real  -  are  often  partial  reasons  given  for 
becoming  prone  to  radical  opinion  or  joining  radical  movements.  It  can  be  one’s  own 
perceptions  of  injustice  or  discrimination  about  one’s  situation  that  is  seen  to  affect  certain 
groups and that mobilises people into action.  

Factors relating to exclusion, which can relate to being part of minority or immigrant groups – 
either individually or shared by the group with which one identifies or belongs to as a whole –
can  result  in  feelings  of  being  discriminated  against  within  the  European  societies  in  which 
people  live.  Similar  feelings  can  also  occur  to  those  that  feel  their  identity  is  threatened  by 
immigration,  globalisation  or,  in  the  case  of  separatists,  insertion  within  wider,  often 
undesired political societies. 

Feelings  of  “belonging”  and  of  identity  are  often  fragmented  and  personal  allegiances  can 
cause  confusion.  For  example,  young  people  born  to  immigrant  parents  and  brought  up  in 
Europe often have different expectations of the country in which they live from those of their 
parents.  Many  do  not  feel  allegiance  to  their  parents  or  grandparents’  countries  of  origin, 
religion  or  cultural  background,  and  thus  can  only  really  be  part  of  the  country  where  they 
have  grown  up  and  live,  but  yet  they  may  sometimes  encounter  discrimination  within  these 
societies, often due to their cultural, linguistic, religious, national and physical differences.  

All young children of whatever background want to “fit in” with others. It is only later on, as 
older teenagers, that feelings of wanting to rebel become more likely. The resulting alienation 
from both parental roots and country of origin and the society in which they live, can lead to a 
desire  to  identify  with  a  more  motivating  or  powerful  locus  of  identity.  It  is  this  crisis  of 
identity that can be seen as being a strong motivating force for many to become involved in 
organisations  with  strong  beliefs  who  wish  to  avenge  certain  people  or  society  in  general, 
through terrorist acts. 

Political beliefs, national, linguistic, religious identity and self expression, or combinations of 
the above, are often the motivating factors behind wanting to try to change the status quo. The 
sense of finding an identity and belonging can be stronger and more significant as a locus of 
difference,  than  simply  inheriting  an  ethnic  identity,  or  acquiring  or  being  born  into  a 
citizenship especially for children who have had no personal or first-hand experience of their 
parents’  country  of  origin.  For  some  young  people  from  Muslim  immigrant  families,  Islam 
becomes something different from the Islam of their parents, and as they find out more about 
it, it becomes a positive and more accessible means of expression for an individual. Many of 

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society’s perceptions of immigrant Islam in Europe are cultural norms which have been taken 
from  the  countries  of  origin  of  immigrants,  as  opposed  to  the  religion  per  se.  For  some 
Muslims,  the  quest  for  a  “pure”  Islam  is  important  and  they  do  so  by  engaging  with 
organisations and groups from which they feel they might learn new things.  

It might be that a small percentage of these organisations take advantage of this and become 
fora for influencing young people. It is this false attribution of certain values and practices to 
Islam that creates negative stereotypes in the media and society about the religion, particularly 
since  the  attacks  of  11  September  2001  in  the  U.S.  This  can  contribute  to  negative 
stereotypes, thus fuelling grounds for attacks on Muslims on the one hand and exacerbating 
feelings of discrimination within Muslim communities on the other. 

The quest for a pure, simple ideology might also be felt by those that feel left out of social and 
economic  change.  Individuals,  particularly  young  people  from  poorer,  or  excluded 
backgrounds,  may  feel  a  strong  attraction  for  the  “certainties”  of  extreme  (or  anti-
globalisation) ideologies, although of course it is not only individuals in these categories who 
are found to have turned to violent radicalisation. 

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