Impact of Terrorist Attacks on the Formation and Dynamics of EU Counter-terrorism Policy

Abstract

This paper examines and analyses the impact of terrorist attacks on the formation of the EU counter-terrorism policy. The conducted research includes a qualitative content analysis of the EU primary sources in the recent period (2015 – 2016). The results indicate how the EU counter-terrorism policy moves on the continuum from “soft” toward “hard” power, where security measures are more restrictive than ever before. This research also demonstrates how exogenous crises manifested through terrorist attacks committed on the EU territory significantly affect the endogenous institutional development of the EU, which is primarily focused on dealing with terrorism-related consequences and to a lesser extent with the aetiology of the origin and development of radicalization and terrorism. This paper contributes to the understanding of the political decision-making and institutional changes that influence the development of the EU counter-terrorism area.

Keywords

• eu counter-terrorism policy
• terrorist attacks
• “soft” and “hard” power
• exogenous crisis