Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Rising extremism in Europe causes concerns in the Balkans

Strong regional co-operation can help fight the threat of extremism in the Balkans.
By Linda Karadaku for Southeast European Times in Pristina

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In 2012, 537 people were arrested for terrorism-related offences in 17 EU member states, according to the latest Europol report. [AFP]
The rise of extremism in Europe and its possible threat to the region concerns Balkan analysts, who said the solution is in close political, security and judicial co-operation.
"The Balkans was always one of the most risky terrorist threat areas. It's the only part of Europe [excluding former Soviet Union] that had brutal wars at the close of the 20th century," Dragan Popovic, executive director of the Belgrade Policy Centre, told SETimes.
He said the key element in fighting terrorism is regional co-operation.
"It is impossible to deal with such a threat without strong and substantial co-operation within the Balkans, including close co-operation on political, security and judicial levels," he said.
Popovic also emphasised NATO's role in the regional anti-terrorist fight.
"The Balkans should use the most effective anti-terrorist umbrella in the world, NATO. Even in countries like Serbia, though far from NATO membership, regional co-operation is crucial in the fight against terrorists' threats," Popovic said.
Rising extremism in Europe causes concern in regional countries with a large diaspora, such as Kosovo.
Mentor Vrajolli, a security analyst at the Pristina Centre for Security Studies, said the diaspora is exposed to the same terrorist threats as other Europeans.
"Thus far, our institutions can do nothing about this threat, because Kosovo hasn't been a country of origin or destination of terrorism," Vrajolli told SETimes.
He said that Kosovo institutions should increase preventive anti-terrorist measures, including enhancing communication between Kosovo institutions with Kosovo immigrants in the west.
The increase in recruitment of individuals willing to commit to terrorism is the main concern in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
"In the last year, there's a noticeable increase in recruitment of individuals willing to carry out terrorist attacks. They are a real threat to the security of the country, and the entire continent," Dzevad Galijasevic, director of the Southeast Europe Expert Team for the Fight Against Terrorism and Organised Crime, told SETimes.
Galijasevic said the increasing danger from terrorism and extremism in BiH stems from poor social and economic conditions.
According to the BiH secret service agency, about 3,000 Islamic extremists live in the country.
The latest terrorism case was connected to Mevlid Jasarevic, who fired more than 100 bullets from an automatic rifle at the US embassy in Sarajevo in October 2011. The Court of BiH, which qualified Jasarevic's actions as "terrorist," sentenced him to 18 years in prison in December last year.
According to the 2012 Europol report, terrorist attacks in Europe marked a significant increase. In 2012, there were 219 terrorist attacks recorded in seven EU member states. Most of the attacks were attached to separatist terrorism.
In 2012, a total of 537 people were arrested for terrorism-related offences in 17 EU member states, an increase from 484 arrests in 2011.
Terrorism manifests in a variety of ways, and can be driven by diverse motivations, including religion and strong ethno-nationalist sentiments that lead to separatist terrorism, the report said.
"Europol is carrying out a 'travelling in connection to terrorist activities' project on the agendas of current and upcoming EU presidencies. The purpose is to scope current best practices within the EU law enforcement and intelligence communities," Soren Pedersen, a Europol communication officer, told SETimes.
Popovic said it is important not to overestimate terrorist threats, but preserve the level of human rights and freedoms.
"All Balkan governments could easily use real or imagined terrorist threats to diminish the level of human rights or rule of law in the Balkans. This could be more dangerous for the Balkan peoples than terrorist threats," Popovic told SETimes.
Correspondent Drazen Remikovic in Sarajevo contributed to this report.
How can terrorist threats be reduced? Let us know what you think.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

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