C. Hillebrand, Counter-terrorism Networks in the European Union: Maintaining Democratic Legitimacy after 9/11

Abstract

In Counter-terrorism Networks in the European Union, Claudia Hillebrand, a lecturer in Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism at Aberystwyth University examines the European Union’s counter-terrorism programme and analyses whether it meets a democratic legitimacy standard, defined as being subject to parliamentary and judicial scrutiny. The book is a useful contribution to the growing body of literature on the EU’s approach to counter-terrorism. Hillebrand is concerned with whether the proactive Counter-Terrorism Policy (CTP) within the EU framework receives sufficient scrutiny and oversight, a question that has become exceedingly important in the post-9/11 period as executive branches adopt measures expanding their intelligence gathering powers and capabilities in the name of national security. In focusing on democratic legitimacy within the EU context, Hillebrand raises the question as to whether the European states’ decision to view terrorism as a crime as opposed to declaring a ‘war on terror’ has allowed Europe to ensure that its counter-terrorism regime exists within the confines of accountability, oversight, human rights and the rule of law. In Counter-terrorism Networks Hillebrand persuasively shows that proactive policing which ‘tend[s] to touch on core values, or ethical principles, of individuals and societies’ (p. 107) lacks sufficient democratic scrutiny, especially in respect to the EU counter-terrorism network (CTN), which has ties with external actors and networks.