2024-09-13 06:12:01
Expert warns of wave of terror
Why there is no EU threat database yet
06.09.2024Reading time: 3 min.
Terrorism expert Peter Neumann is calling for a European threat database. The proposal is not new, but why is the EU having such a hard time implementing it?
Terrorism researcher Peter Neumann warns of a new wave of Islamist attacks in Europe. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, he spoke of a “dramatically increased number of such attacks”. Read more about this here.
That is why he is pushing for a European database of dangerous individuals. “We have still not managed to create a European database that lists all of these people, so that if, for example, this attacker is noticed during a traffic check in Bavaria, a hit is immediately reported,” he said.
The topic of a European database of dangerous individuals is not new. After terrorist attacks such as the one in Paris in 2015, voices have often been raised calling for a common European database for dangerous individuals. According to Neumann, nothing has been done.
The EU has no shortage of databases. The European police authority Europol alone manages several such directories, including the extensive Europol Information System (EIS). This is where investigators in The Hague collect all available information on international criminal structures in Europe.
Neumann spoke of a “huge security gap” and criticized “the fact that, for example, the Bavarian authorities obviously did not know who this person was, even though this person lives only an hour’s drive away from Munich.”
In addition to EIS, there is the file for left-wing and right-wing extremists called Dolphin, the file for jihadist terrorists called Hydra, and the files for terrorist financing or terrorist propaganda on the Internet. The idea behind this is that the national authorities and secret services in Europe should network better.
The problem: EU states are not obliged to share national investigation results with each other. This means that it is not certain whether national authorities will feed their data into Europol’s systems quickly or at all.
What makes matters worse is that different countries have different understandings of data protection and different definitions of the term “threat”. The German police use the term “threat” to describe people they believe are capable of committing a politically motivated crime of significant importance – such as a terrorist attack. However, other EU countries use different categories.
Here, the Federal Republic is trying to advance the standardization of the term within the framework of Germany’s EU Council Presidency. Most recently, in July 2023, the German Bundestag said that the reluctance of the EU member states on the subject had turned into interest and productive participation. The criteria for dangerous persons are currently being voted on in writing.
“Nothing has happened since then,” says terrorism expert Peter Neumann. In Network X, he writes that the European threat database project should finally be pushed forward with vigor and tagged the account of Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
Neumann continued: “Anyone who opens borders and creates a common area of movement (ie Schengen) must also ensure that security authorities work together smoothly. In theory, everyone agrees with this argument. But the implementation is lacking.” Green Party leader Ricarda Lang also responded to Neumann’s tweets and wrote in reference to the EU threat database: “Smart suggestion.”
On Thursday morning, there was an exchange of fire between an armed man and police in front of the Israeli Consulate General in Munich. The man, 18-year-old Emra I., was shot and died on the spot. Investigators believe it was a terrorist attack on the consulate. Thursday marked the 52nd anniversary of the attack on the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Munich Games.