U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

Abstract

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks gave new momentum to European Union (EU) initiatives to combat terrorism and improve police, judicial, and intelligence cooperation among its member states. Since the 2001 attacks, the EU has sought to speed up its efforts to harmonize national laws and bring down barriers among member states law enforcement authorities so that information can be meaningfully shared and suspects apprehended expeditiously. Among other steps, the EU has established a common definition of terrorism and a common list of terrorist groups, an EU arrest warrant, enhanced tools to stem terrorist financing, and new measures to strengthen external EU border controls and improve aviation security. As part of its drive to improve its counterterrorism capabilities, the EU has also made improving cooperation with the United States a top priority. Washington has largely welcomed these efforts, recognizing that they may help root out terrorist cells and prevent future attacks against the United States or its interests abroad. U.S.-EU cooperation against terrorism has led to a new dynamic in U.S.-EU relations by fostering dialogue on law enforcement and homeland security issues previously reserved for bilateral discussions. Contacts between U.S. and EU officials on police, judicial, and border control policy matters have increased substantially since 2001. A number of new U.S.-EU agreements have also been reached; these include information-sharing arrangements between the United States and EU police and judicial bodies, two new U.S.-EU treaties on extradition and mutual legal assistance, and accords on container security and airline passenger data. In addition, the United States and the EU have been working together to clamp down on terrorist financing and to improve aviation and transport security.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 09, 2010
Accession Number
ADA524294

Entities

People

  • Kristin Archick

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Rights
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Counterterrorism
  • Crime
  • Criminals
  • Department Of State
  • European Union
  • Homeland Security
  • Human Rights
  • Information Exchange
  • Law
  • Privacy Rights
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution