European Union's Initiatives in the Struggle against the Propaganda of Terrorism

Abstract

In the article, the author analyzes the EU initiatives that prevent radicalization, reduce the impact of destructive content, and increase public awareness and the ability to distinguish objective information from fakes and disinformation. The author emphasizes that the EU’s struggle against radicalization, extremism and terrorism is based on four “pillars”: 1) prevention, 2) protection, 3) persecution and 4) response. Each Member State develops its own prevention policy, but the Commission provides some regulatory framework for the exchange of experiences and good practices, so special attention is paid to the study of the Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN), which is an EU policy tool because it is aimed at developing programs of deradicalization and rehabilitation, assistance to teachers and youth in combating the causes of radicalization. The author argues that only the common efforts of the EU institutions, Member States, partner countries, media and technological organizations can effectively struggle against the propaganda of extremism and terrorism.