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RCC to present findings of SecuriMeter 2024
The SecuriMeter 2024 sheds light on public perceptions of security, governance, and trust across the Western Balkans, offering critical insights for shaping the region’s future. read more
The accompanying Post-Conference Report offers a detailed summary of the discussions, providing insights into the security landscape, Western Balkans trends, and conference observations. Moreover, it outlines recommendations for future conferences to build on progress and address emerging challenges ... read more
Bregu: Brain Drain is Becoming not just Human Capital but Security Issue Too
RCC presents the third edition of public opinion survey on security issues SecuriMeter Rome - "Migration is becoming one of the biggest problems of today, because countries are emptying. Not just those that result in the inflow of migrants to our region, but also because of the emigration ... read more
Welcome to our latest update! We are excited to share the Infographic presentation - Main findings - Balkan Barometer 2022 - Special Security edition, “Impact of the war in Ukraine on the Western Balkans (Balkans Public and Business Opinion)." This comprehensive edition sheds light on the ... read more
This Special Security Edition of the Balkan Barometer aims to explore perceptions of public opinion and businesses in the Western Balkans, given the impact and consequences of the war in Ukraine. In this context, the report comes as a specific additional instrument along with other reports commissioned ... read more
Bregu: Regional approach to cybersecurity, in line with EU standards, is a must
RCC, SEESAC, PFSALW organise high-level meeting on small and light weapons control Tirana – “The widespread proliferation and misuse of firearms poses a great threat to our societies. Only in the first quarter of 2023, 821 firearm incidents were reported in South East Europe, ... read more
RCC, SEESAC, PFSALW organise high-level meeting on small and light weapons control Tirana – “The widespread proliferation and misuse of firearms poses a great threat to our societies. Only in the first quarter of 2023, 821 firearm incidents were reported in South East Europe, ... read more
Helsinki - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in partnership with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) and with support from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, gathered 20 key Western Balkan stakeholders - government, ... read more
Challenges and Lessons from Pandemics to War in Ukraine - POST CONFERENCE REPORT
The 7th Regional (Jumbo) Security Coordination Conference titled Security Cooperation in the Western Balkans - Challenges and Lessons from Pandemics to War in Ukraine was held in Rome on 17 and 18 November 2022, co-organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), International Relations Service of ... read more
Frontex: 45% of all irregular entries in 2022 occurred via the Western Balkans
In 2022, around 330 000 irregular border crossings were detected at EU’s external border, according to preliminary calculations*. This is the highest number since 2016 and an increase of 64% from the previous year. After the pandemic-induced low in 2020, this was the second year in a row with ... read more
RCC hosts 7th Annual Jumbo Security Conference in Rome read more
Conference statement: “THIRD REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON COUNTERING DISINFORMATION IN THE WESTERN BALKANS” Sarajevo, 1st June 2022 read more
Bregu: Support of Western Balkan citizens to regional cooperation remains stable at 76%
RCC presents 2022 editions of Balkan Barometer and SecuriMeter read more
Kapetanovic: Disinformation is neither an overnight phenomenon nor can it have an overnight solution
RCC hosts Third Annual Conference on Disinformation read more
Join the "Third Regional Conference on countering disinformation in the Western Balkans"
From the beginning of its "Countering disinformation in the Western Balkans" activity in 2020, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) has formed partnerships with regional and EU partners who want to support the work to empower WB citizens with knowledge and tools to build resilience against ... read more
BIRN Review: Democracy Digest: More NATO Troops and Arms to Region
As NATO agrees to send a further 40,000 troops to bolster its eastern flank, Slovakia receives materiel in the form of the long-awaited Patriot air-defence system. read more
UK's Peach: Some political issues in the region could become security issues
The Western Balkans region has not been put under a direct threat of war yet but some political issues in the region could become security issues unless it is avoided, UK Special Envoy for the Western Balkans Sir Stuart Peach said addressing a panel discussion 'Britain and the Western Balkans in ... read more
Munich – “European integration and transatlantic cooperation should not look decoupled in the Western Balkans (WB). It’s high time to put the process of EU accession of the WB into the spotlight before too late becomes a lifetime. This is the centre of gravity for the future of the ... read more
Conclusions from the 22nd PCC SEE Committee of Ministers Meeting
Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, 30 November 2021- The PCC SEE Committee of Ministers convened for the 22nd time in its statutory capacity as the highest PCC SEE decision-making body under the auspices of the PCC SEE Chairmanship-in-Office of the Republic of North Macedonia. Authorized representatives ... read more
CONFERENCE CONCLUSIONS - Sixth Regional (Jumbo) Security Coordination Conference
The 6th Jumbo security conference of the Regional Cooperation Council was held on 6th of December 2021 in Paris, in partnership with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Institute for Higher National Defense Studies (IHEDN). The conference gathered around 80 participants from France, ... read more
RCC co-organises its annual Jumbo Security conference in Paris, with French Foreign and European Affairs Ministry read more
This report encapsulates the main discussion points and takeaways of this webinar, organized by the Regional Cooperation Council, where experts aimed to shed light on an issue which has gained lately extensive media coverage following the country’s takeover by the Taliban regime in August. This ... read more
70% of Western Balkan citizens believe that incoming migrants are a security risk
RCC organised a webinar on Paradigm Change in Afghanistan to discuss possible implications for South East Europe read more
Remarks by the Head of political department of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Mr. Amer Kapetanović at the webinar: "Paradigm Change in Afghanistan: Possible implications for the SEE region", held in hybrid-mode on 08 November 2021. Alongside Mr. Kapetanovic, the webinar was opened ... read more
The Regional Cooperation Council cordially invites you to participate in the ZOOM webinar "PARADIGM CHANGE IN AFGHANISTAN - Human security, transnational crime, and terrorism: Old, new and emerging security threats in the wake of Taliban Caliphate establishment", which will be held on 8 November ... read more
Today, the European Commission adopted its 2021 Enlargement Package, providing a detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made by the Western Balkans and Turkey on their respective paths towards the European Union, with a particular focus on implementing fundamental reforms, as well ... read more
EURACTIV: US to aggressively punish corruption in BiH
The US will “very aggressively” use sanctions for widespread corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the US Department of State special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, has told Voice of America. Escobar took over the post from Matthew Palmer, who was recently appointed ... read more
REUTERS: Taliban say no al Qaeda or ISIS in Afghanistan
Sept 21 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban rulers said on Tuesday there was no evidence of Islamic State or al Qaeda militants being in the country, days after Islamic State claimed responsibility for bomb attacks in the eastern city of Jalalabad. Since toppling the Western-backed government in ... read more
CEP: Open Balkan Initiative - Less History, More Business
At the Economic Forum on Regional Cooperation held in Skopje on 29 June, leaders of Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia unveiled a new name for what was colloquially known as Mini-Schengen, which, from now on, will be officially called the Open Balkan initiative. The trio signed one interstate Agreement ... read more
Unemployment and inequalities: the pandemic penalises the youngest
High unemployment rates, increasingly apparent inequalities, and the digital divide. In the WB6, the crisis risks leaving young people behind and provoking a new wave of migration, but it could also offer new opportunities to revive economies read more
Most Europa Interview with Amer Kapetanović
"Internal political disputes, open bilateral issues and a lack of progress in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue slow down regional cooperation in the Western Balkans, while the European Union contributes to an ever-growing geopolitical crack through its accession indecisiveness and strategic misconception. ... read more
ROME – Conference “Black Sea and Balkan Perspectives: A Strategic Region”, organised by the NATO Defense College Foundation, is taking place on Wednesday, 28 July in the Italian capital. read more
Closing remarks from the Regional Disinformation Conference “Spread of disinformation during the pandemic and its impact on the Western Balkans", 8 July 2021, organized by RCC and OBCT. read more
RCC together with Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT) organised Regional Disinformation Conference Sarajevo – “SecuriMeter data show us that people of the Western Balkans perceive three areas of public life to be threatened by intentional disinformation: economy ... read more
In this context, the Regional online conference ‘Spread of disinformation during the pandemic and its impact on the Western Balkans’ comes at a time when large institutions have been mobilized to move on from identifying and monitoring disinformation into taking concrete action, aimed at ... read more
After the successful launch of the first-ever regional Securimeter - Security Public Opinion Survey, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in cooperation with the Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), is organizing a regional online conference: "Spread of disinformation during the pandemic ... read more
Home affairs funds: Council adopts €18 billion funds for 2021-2027
The EU is increasing the scope of its funding for measures in the fields of asylum and migration, integrated border management and internal security, so as to address growing challenges in these policy areas. The Council today adopted three sectoral proposals for the funding of home affairs policies, ... read more
Migrations, media, and the pandemic
In recent years, migrations have been widely covered by the European media, often in controversial terms. With the outbreak of the pandemic, the situation has changed dramatically, but not for the better. An analysis read more
RCC present Western Balkans SecuriMeter - the first-ever regional Public Opinion Survey on Security read more
Sarajevo - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) with support of Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will present the first-ever regional Public Opinion Survey on Security issues – Western Balkans SecuriMeter on Monday, 24 May 2021, starting at 10:00 CET. The presentation ... read more
The launching event for The Security Balkan Barometer Public Opinion Survey 2021: “SecuriMeter - Perceptions of security threats in WB” comes at a time of a coordinated joint effort at a global scale to prevent and combat online violent radicalization and extremism. In this context, this ... read more
Reuters: Far-right crime hits record high in Germany
Germany saw a big jump last year in politically motiviated crimes, and offences commited by far-right supporters hit a record high, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Tuesday. read more
EU commission calls Frontex its new 'Return Agency'
The EU's law enforcement agency Frontex will be taking a lead role on sending unwanted and rejected asylum seekers back home. read more
European Commission Statement: European Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Terrorism
On the occasion of the 17th European Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Terrorism, The Commission issued the following statement: “Today, we come together to listen, to support survivors, and above all to honour all victims of terrorism. To all who seek to hurt and divide us, we will continue ... read more
How the Internet Enabled Jihadist Activism
Our understanding of how the internet has stoked terrorist activism is conditioned by an important bias: the assumption that the internet possesses a series of traits that intrinsically lends itself to achieving the goals of terrorist groups. Such an assumption makes the unconscious mistake of studying ... read more
BIRN Analysis: Balkan States Under Pressure to Prosecute Financiers of Terrorism
Since hundreds of Balkan extremists went abroad to fight for Islamic State and other militant groups, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have come under increased international pressure to clamp down on the financing of terrorism. read more
In 2015 the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2242 mandated the consideration of not just women, but gender, as a cross-cutting theme in counter-terrorism and preventing/ countering violent extremism (P/CVE) practices. It was the Daesh call to women worldwide to join its Caliphate, a ... read more
EER Webinar: Radicalization Trends in 2021
After an unprecedented year of stress—social, economic, and political—for societies around the world coping with the coronavirus pandemic, and the visible manifestation of misinformation in America with the insurrection at Capitol Hill in January, European Eye on Radicalization held a webinar ... read more
At least two Capitol rioters may have committed "crimes of terrorism," prosecutors say, which is cause to hold them without bail as they await trial — and may mean longer sentences should they be found guilty. read more
Sarajevo – The Western Balkan interior ministers adopted the annual work plan and the two methodologies of the Integrative Internal Security Governance (IISG), and also approved the membership of seven new IISG partners at the fifth meeting of the IISG Board held for the first time under the umbrella ... read more
The Monetization of Disinformation
Disinformation is widely understood as referring to content produced to generate profits, pursue political goals, or as information created to maliciously mislead, such as in the form of hoaxes. In the era of infodemic and radicalisation, the monetization of disinformation has become a major challenge, ... read more
RAN CONCLUSION PAPER: Women’s Usage of Social Media and Lessons for Preventing Violent Extremism
A new paper provides insights for practitioners on the radicalisation of (young) women online. The paper outlines the vulnerabilities that are specific to (young) women, explains how recruiters use these vulnerabilities online and provides recommendations for practitioners on how to address some of these ... read more
UN Security Concerns Rise Following Killings in Syria's Al-Hol Camp
GENEVA - U.N. officials are expressing alarm over worsening security at Northeast Syria’s al-Hol refugee camp after multiple killings between January 1 and 16. Fears for the safety and protection of camp residents and humanitarian workers are growing following the killings of 12 Syrian ... read more
Is COVID-19 Responsible for Facilitating Extremism and Terrorism?
The Bussola Institute in Brussels hosted a timely event on 14 January about the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on extremism and terrorism. Since it is now reasonably well-established that the pandemic has brought new opportunities for extremists to gather support and recruits for their ideologies ... read more
Eurostat: Over 20 million foreigners in EU legally in 2019
A total of 20,323,576 foreign nationals legally resided in the European Union in 2019 for at least three months, an increase compared to 2018 when there were 19.5 million of them. Eurostat added that it was not unusual since the number of issued permits rose in the last ten years. Some two million ... read more
BI Analysis: Delays Continue to Dog Bosnian Counter-Terrorism Policy
Bosnia lags behind the rest of the Western Balkans in terms of its strategy on countering terrorism, particularly how to handle fighters returning from foreign wars. read more
NATO Review: "Disinformation in the Western Balkans"
The Western Balkans region is very vulnerable to foreign disinformation, which has intensified in recent years. Why is this? What can be done to mitigate it? Demonising the United States and NATO; presenting the EU as weak and divided; advertising Russian military might and COVID-19 vaccine ... read more
Foreign Policy: "Flawed Cybersecurity Is a Ticking Time Bomb for the Balkans"
Cyberattacks in North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey reveal that government defenses are weak—and many NATO members are at risk. read more
New Book: Homegrown: ISIS in America
The authors of Homegrown: ISIS in America couldn’t have chosen a more fitting title for their book, as it correctly outlines the serious threat the country is facing from domestic jihadists. The book, co-written by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Seamus Hughes and Bennett Clifford, highlights several ... read more
Internal Security: Council adopts conclusions to strengthen cooperation
The Council today adopted conclusions on internal security and European police partnership. These conclusions aim to further improve cooperation in the field so as to better respond to evolving security challenges and harness the potential of technological developments. read more
Security Union: A Counter-Terrorism Agenda and stronger Europol to boost the EU's resilience
Today, the Commission is presenting a new Counter-Terrorism Agenda for the EU to step up the fight against terrorism and violent extremism and boost the EU's resilience to terrorist threats. Building on the work done in recent years, the Agenda seeks to support Member States in better anticipating, ... read more
Cybersecurity of connected devices – Council adopts conclusions
Connected devices, including machines, sensors and networks that make up the Internet of Things (IoT), will play a key role in further shaping Europe’s digital future, and so will their security. read more
Global terror-related deaths at a five-year low, says report (Global Terrorism Index - GTI)
Global terror-related deaths at a five-year low, says report Though Western countries have experienced the highest levels of terror deaths since the 1970s. read more
RCC together with partners organised the Fifth Regional (Jumbo) Security Coordination Conference Sarajevo – “Illegal immigration is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon which no single country can fix alone. We should take into account the opinion of 63% of Western Balkan citizens ... read more
Register for RCC Fifth Regional (Jumbo) Security Coordination Conference (19-20 November 2020)
Fifth Regional (Jumbo) Security Coordination Conference titled “Paving the Way for Stabilization in the Western Balkans: The Balkan Route in the New Geopolitical Order - Old and New Challenges to Security” will take place in online format on 19-20 November 2020. This year’s ... read more
RACVIAC-RCC: On-line event on Deradicalization and Resocialization of FTFs
The on-line activity titled “Deradicalization and Resocialization of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) in the Western Balkans - Case studies” was organized by RACVIAC-Centre for Security Cooperation in partnership with the Regional Cooperation Council on 10 November 2020. read more
RCC with partners organised an online webinar on disinformation: Addressing the challenges posed by disinformation in the Western Balkans Sarajevo - “We must immediately begin to work together on developing a culture of critical media literacy in our societies and build disinformation resilience. ... read more
Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in cooperation with Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa (OBCT), European External Action Service (EEAS) and Hybrid CoE are organizing webinar on addressing the challenges posed by disinformation in the Western Balkans on 11-12 November 2020. The ... read more
Freedom of Expression Attacked in France — Again
It was a highly targeted attack that concluded a crazy week of cyber mobbing. The victim was Samuel Paty, aged 47, who was beheaded on Friday 16 October as he was leaving his secondary school in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, west of Paris. The terrorist’s name is Abdouallakh Abouyezidovitch Anzorov, ... read more
BSF: Nordic model of security cooperation an example for the Western Balkans
BELGRADE – National interest and political will are the key factors that could determine the success of Western Balkans defense cooperation, while the countries of the region could learn a lot from the Nordic model, were some of the conclusions of the Belgrade Security Forum’s panel titled ... read more
EU commissioner advocates joint migration management with Western Balkans
The European Union (EU) has to manage migration together with its Western Balkan partners, notably in returning illegal migrants who should go back to their countries of origin and in fighting against human traffickers, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has said. Human traffickers ... read more
How the EU candidate economies in the Western Balkans stand with fight against corruption?
The overall pace of fighting corruption has slowed down and the track record in most economies is far from meeting the requirements for membership – this is one of the conclusions made by European Commission (EC) in the recently published enlargement package for Western Balkans. The area of ... read more
EWB Interview - Mariano: Western Balkan economies could contribute to security and defense of NATO
On the occasion of the NDCF High-Level Conference “Balkan Perspectives 2020. The Fight for a Timely Inclusion”, we have interviewed Stephen J. Mariano, Dean of the NATO Defense College in Rome. Prior to that, he was Professor of National Security Studies at the National Defense University’s ... read more
Disinformation and anonymous portals in Bosnia
In Bosnia and Herzegovina there are thousands of anonymous portals that pollute the web with disinformation. It is difficult to find solutions, except for media literacy. A comment read more
The Utility of Conspiracy Theories and How to Combat Them
Covid-19 has been exploited by extremists and terrorists. It has provided them with a route to continue their campaign of terror. On a strategic front, Islamists have used it as a means to broadcast a message that governments are overstretched dealing with Covid-19, meaning this is the perfect opportunity ... read more
The EU’s Role in Fighting Disinformation: Taking Back the Initiative
Summary: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Europe and the West are grappling with a host of thorny dilemmas posed by disinformation and foreign influence operations. read more
Stoltenberg and Hoti talked about regional security in NATO HQ
BRUSSELS – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met Kosovo* Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti for the first time at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday for talks on current developments in the Western Balkans. read more
BIRN Fact-check: Can Montenegro Withdraw from NATO?
Whatever the programmes and wishes of the new ruling majority in Montenegro, the treaty the country has signed forbids it from even starting withdrawal for 20 years. read more
Online Training: “Communication and Information Systems Protection” organized by RCC read more
SEENSA Online Training: “Communication and Information Systems Protection”
Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in the framework of the South East European National Security Authorities (SEENSA) initiative, is to organise the online training “Communication and Information Systems Protection” on 1-2 September 2020. The aim of the training is to raise capacities ... read more
In Bosnia’s First ‘Deradicalised’ Syria Fighter, Limited Lessons
Munib Ahmetspahic expressed regret for having joined the Islamic State in Syria. A Court declared him “deradicalised”, but experts say his case provides few real lessons for the fight against religious radicalism. Standing in a Bosnian courtroom in April last year, Munib Ahmetspahic ... read more
Analysis: Balkan States Find Prosecuting Terrorism a Challenge
Evidence in terrorism cases is proving difficult to find, while experts warn that the reintegration and rehabilitation of foreign fighters is an even greater challenge. read more
The Ongoing Trouble With Counter-Narratives: Why Evaluation May Not Be Everything
The last ten years have seen a stark increase in the proliferation of counter-narratives, alternative narratives and strategic communication campaigns used as soft power tools to mitigate the risk of radicalization into extremism. These measures rest on the assumption that radicalization is partially ... read more
Spotlight - publication on the topic of violent right-wing extremism
The first Spotlight – ‘Violent right-wing extremism in focus’ – features original articles written by practitioners, film content, interviews with practitioners about their work, a feature on a stand-out project and plenty more. read more
The Propaganda Pipeline: The ISIS Fuouaris Upload Network on Facebook
A few days ago, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) published an informative new Briefing, entitled, The Propaganda Pipeline The ISIS Fuouaris Upload Network on Facebook, edited by Moustafa Ayad, ISD’s Deputy Director of International Technology, Communications and Education. read more
Watch RAN Film: Foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and their families
A short five-minute film, produced by RAN, provides an introduction to the topic of returnees. We hear from four voices who offer different perspectives on the challenge facing EU Member States today, including a policymaker, a researcher, a practitioner working with returnees in prisons and a practitioner ... read more
The Council today renewed the so-called EU terrorist list, which sets out the persons, groups and entities subject to restrictive measures aimed at combating terrorism. Persons, groups and entities on the list are subject to the freezing of funds and other financial assets in the EU. It is also prohibited ... read more
EU imposes the first ever sanctions against cyber-attacks
The Council today decided to impose restrictive measures against six individuals and three entities responsible for or involved in various cyber-attacks. These include the attempted cyber-attack against the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and those publicly known as 'WannaCry', ... read more
The Council today adopted conclusions reiterating its unwavering commitment to protecting EU citizens against terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms and irrespective of their origin. The conclusions highlight the threats posed by evolving forms of terrorism, and call for further strengthening ... read more
INFODEMIC - spreading fake news is almost as dangerous as spreading the virus, Op-ed by Amer Kapetanovic, Head of Political Department (RCC) read more
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads around the world, the European Union and its Member States have observed cyber threats and malicious cyber activities targeting essential operators in Member States and their international partners, including in the healthcare sector. Since the beginning of the pandemic, ... read more
How Religiosity Hinders the Fight Against COVID-19
As we move into month five of the global COVID-19 outbreak one thing we have learned is the importance of social distancing. Despite the massive disruption to the economy, the need to maintain the healthcare system in order to save lives has brought countries to a near standstill. According to Dr Alistair ... read more
Germany's AfD considers party split amid controversy over radical wing
AfD co-leader Jörg Meuthen has suggested splitting the far-right party, saying the radical "Wing" faction is costing them votes. The AfD has come under pressure following right-wing extremist attacks in Germany. Infighting within the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party intensified ... read more
COVID - 19 pandemic causes by far the largest-ever cyber security threat to the region and world
RCC hosts online SENSA and SEEMIC meetings amid COVID-19 pandemic read more
How Video Games Could Facilitate Radicalization Processes
In Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, the lead character escapes the harsh reality of his daily life by playing a massive virtual reality game, stating that this game is the “only place that feels like I mean anything” and that “it’s a place where the limits of reality are your own imagination ... read more
Turkey freezes assets of groups linked to Daesh, al-Qaida
Turkey on Thursday froze the assets of three organizations linked to Daesh and al-Qaida terror groups in line with a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution. According to the Official Gazette, Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) and two groups affiliated with Daesh operating in Iraq, ... read more
Extremists See Global Chaos From Virus as an Opportunity
JOHANNESBURG — Both the Islamic State group and al-Qaida see the coronavirus as a threat, but some of their fighters also see the upheaval from the pandemic as an opportunity to win over more supporters and strike harder than before. Messages from the Islamic extremist groups show concern about ... read more
The National: Neo-Nazis eye coronavirus pandemic as rallying cry, experts warn
As the world grapples with coronavirus, far-right hate groups and neo-Nazis are using the pandemic to try to recruit followers and spread hateful rhetoric, experts have warned. The coronavirus originated in China’s Wuhan city and has since spread all over the world, with the number of infected ... read more
Newsweek: How Neo-Nazis Are Exploiting Coronavirus to Push Their Radical Agenda
Nations across the world are mobilizing to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic, which has brought more travel disruption, financial strain and widespread panic than any other event in recent history. But not everyone is hoping for a quick and painless end to the crisis. For neo-Nazis, white supremacists ... read more
Prevention Remains Biggest Challenge to Bosnia’s Anti-Terrorism Strategy
Bosnia’s Strategy for Prevention and Combatting Terrorism, which expires this year, has not received nearly enough resources to succeed – and clear terrorism prevention systems have yet to be set up in all local communities, analysis by BIRN shows. read more
Bosnian Media Reports on Terrorism Spread Fear and Misinformation
Sensationalist media reporting about terrorism and violent extremism in Bosnia and Herzegovina exaggerates the phenomenon, spreading fear while distorting public understanding of a complex issue. read more
RCC holds community dialogue in Tirana with students from all over Western Balkans Tirana – “Numbers speak louder than words on the scope of vulnerability of youth to online radicalisation and violent extremism, often leading to terrorism. The World Bank finds that 23% of youngsters in the Western ... read more
RCC’s regional workshop in Skopje discusses relationship between radicalization, extremism, terrorism, and media and journalism read more
Event announcement: Regional workshop ‘Community Dialogue with Youth at Risk’, Tirana, 5 March 2020
Event announcement: Regional workshop ‘Community Dialogue with Youth at Risk’, Tirana, 5 March 2020 read more
Read new RAN Factbook ‒ Islamist extremism
This factbook provides an overview of the fundamental elements of violent Islamist extremism to enable recognition of its symbols, vocabulary, recruitment tactics and narratives used in various settings, including online, in our schools, local communities, or prisons. There are multiple manifestations ... read more
Prevention Remains Biggest Challenge to Bosnia’s Anti-Terrorism Strategy
Bosnia’s Strategy for Prevention and Combatting Terrorism, which expires this year, has not received nearly enough resources to succeed – and clear terrorism prevention systems have yet to be set up in all local communities, analysis by BIRN shows. read more
Balkan ‘Social Media Jihadis’ More Dangerous than Ex-Fighters
Concern in the Balkans since the collapse of the Islamic State caliphate has focused on the threat posed by returning fighters. But experts say those who fight online are a greater danger. read more
Countering hybrid threats: Council calls for enhanced common action
Saudi Arabia, Deradicalization, Deradicalization Program, Successful, pcve, rcc, pcve, P-CVE, extremism, radicalisation, radicalization, violent extremism, radicalization into violence, Regional cooperation Council, Vijeće za regionalnu saradnju, sigurnost, security, prevencija, referalni mehanizam, ... read more
RCC: We need dynamic regional responses to modern security challenges
RCC hosts conference: Regional Response to Security Challenges in South East Europe taking place in Trieste today Trieste – “83% of Europeans agree that fake news is a threat to democracy, yet it has become a new normalcy, sitting between a freedom of speech and freedom to hate. Fake news is ... read more
RCC takes IISG – Western Balkans’ internal security governance platform under its wing
Integrative Internal Security Governance (IISG) Board has endorsed functional merger with the RCC as of April 2020 read more
Bosnian Salafist Preachers Calibrate Message to Growing Audience
Salafist preachers, or Da’is, are harnessing the power of social media to increase their influence in Bosnia, dialing down their rhetoric but still challenging fundamental rights. read more
Europe’s State of Denial About Islamic State Returnees
The latest developments in Syria should serve as a warning to European countries that they will not be able to put off indefinitely the challenge of repatriating their nationals who had joined Islamic State (IS) and their families. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, but jihadists ... read more
Directors of Military Intelligence Agencies and high level representatives from South East Europe (SEEMIC): Albania, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey have met on November 6, 2019 in Ljubljana, at the 11th ... read more
Bojana Balon, Head of South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) read more
Resonant Voices Initiative: Far-Right Balkan Groups Flourish on the Net
Excluded from the mainstream media, whose content is more heavily policed, the purveyors of extreme ideologies are spreading their messages of fear and hatred on social networks. read more
Tirana –The year 2020 will be devoted to further strengthening the capacities of the National Security Authorities (NSA) in industrial security and cyber security, as concluded at the meeting of Heads of NSA from South East Europe (SEENSA), held in Tirana on 24 October 2019. The adopted set of ... read more
Read: Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online
The fourth evaluation on the Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online confirms continuous progress on the swift removal of illegal hate speech. While the fight against hate speech needs to continue and be further strengthened, the Code is delivering on its key commitments. It proves ... read more
Resonant Voices Initiative: Far-Right Balkan Groups Flourish on the Net
Excluded from the mainstream media, whose content is more heavily policed, the purveyors of extreme ideologies are spreading their messages of fear and hatred on social networks. read more
Obstacles to countering online radicalization in contemporary democracies
Obstacles to countering online radicalization in contemporary democracies read more
A day in the life of a psychologist at the Criminal State Police Office of Bavaria
Antje Götz-Bungarten is a psychologist at the Bavarian Criminal State Police Office (Germany) and works in a special section against radicalisation. The most challenging part of her job is that the patients are not asking for help. Learn how she overcomes these difficulties. read more
Wednesday, 9 October, 2019 Today, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos endorsed two sets of arrangements for the implementation of the Western Balkans Joint Action Plan on Counterterrorism – with the Albanian Minister of Internal Affairs Sandër ... read more
EU home affairs ministers discussed counter-terrorism, hybrid threats and migration
The EU Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) met in Luxembourg on 7–8 October. The Council was chaired by Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo. The first item on the agenda for the meeting of home affairs ministers on 8 October was combatting the sexual abuse of children. The Council adopted ... read more
DW: 'Deepfake' technology sees dramatic rise
The technology that can realistically manipulate footage is mostly being used for pornography, says a new report. It has also caused several major political scandals already. read more
Balkan Jihadi Warriors Remain Safe On The Net – Analysis
While Balkan countries have curbed the flow of fighters to foreign wars, the online space is still a haven for Islamist extremists who remain out of reach there, recruiting and spreading messages of hate. By Fatjona Mejdini, Marija Ristic, Denis Dzidic, Ervin Qafmolla, Sinisa Jakov Marusic and Natalia ... read more
Isolated Among Extremists: Conditions Deteriorate for Children of Islamic State
Saudi Arabia, Deradicalization, Deradicalization Program, Successful, pcve, rcc, pcve, P-CVE, extremism, radicalisation, radicalization, violent extremism, radicalization into violence, Regional cooperation Council, Vijeće za regionalnu saradnju, sigurnost, security, prevencija, referalni mehanizam, ... read more
How Crime Helps Finance Radical-Right Terrorism
Armed robberies were often the first crimes nascent right-wing extremist organizations carried out after deciding to take the terrorist “option.” read more
EU policy: preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online
EU policy: preventing the dissemination of terrorist content online Author: JORDY KRASENBERG The use of the internet for recruitment and the dissemination of violent extremist materials raises significant policy challenges for the European Union (EU), its Member States, and content sharing platforms ... read more
Terrorism in the EU: terror attacks, deaths and arrests
The numbers of victims of jihadist terrorism has decreased and the authorities managed to foil more attacks in 2018 compared to previous years. However, according to Catherine De Bolle internal threats to security are still high in the EU. Speaking at a meeting of Parliament’s civil liberties ... read more
The Islamist Challenge in Germany
Germany has witnessed a growth of Islamist extremism in recent years. Before looking at the causes, it is useful to map out the landscape: The Key Islamist Groups in Germany According to Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) report in 2018, the main Salafist jihadist ... read more
Rethinking Counterterrorism Strategies for Facing the Far-Right and Islamic Extremism
The terrorist attacks occurring in the two decades since 2001 in various corners in the world raise serious questions about the features of violence and radicalisation. Common to all of the attacks is the lives they destroy, but the ideologies do differ and all require condemnation. Understanding ... read more
Regional cooperation – Main topic of Helsinki meeting
Regional cooperation – Main topic of Helsinki meeting read more
Psychological Resilience: The Next frontier for Counterterrorism
Recent years have seen an increase in terrorist attacks utilizing everyday objects such as cars rather than perpetrating the violent act with weapons or explosives. Prominent examples are the Christmas market attack in Germany 2016, the vehicle attack in Nice or the attacks in Britain, on Westminster ... read more
DW: Germany's far-right: Police to restructure as threat of extremism grows
Germany's federal criminal police agency wants to overhaul the structures it uses to fight far-right groups and hate crimes, media reports say. The organization sees a growing threat of militant extremism in the country. read more
A mother expressed her concern about extremist content poisoning the minds of boys as they use the internet, in a post that went viral. She thinks there are warning signs parents should heed. In an age where anyone can access just about anything on the internet, white boys in the US seem particularly ... read more
BIRN - Bosnia Failing in Fight against Extremism Online
The tools are there to identify and remove extremist online content, but Bosnia isn’t using them. read more
Terrorism Studies: The Need for Cooperation Among Researchers and Journalists
Guy Van Vlierden notes that at the current time in terrorism studies, journalists are finding a lot of primary material, yet they come to it without background knowledge. This is where journalists can come together with researchers and analysts, who can help provide crucial context. For example, ... read more
Download all relevant P/CVE documents at IISG website
The IISG (Integrative Internal Security Governance) is a new approach to internal security governance capacity-building and reform introduced in the Western Balkan region. The concept enables a coordinated, aligned and sustainable effort in the major fields of internal security governance reform on ... read more
A day in the life of the Institute of Social Safety’s Chairman
Saudi Arabia, Deradicalization, Deradicalization Program, Successful, pcve, rcc, pcve, P-CVE, extremism, radicalisation, radicalization, violent extremism, radicalization into violence, Regional cooperation Council, Vijeće za regionalnu saradnju, sigurnost, security, prevencija, referalni mehanizam, ... read more
Upload filters and one-hour takedowns: the EU’s latest fight against terrorism online, explained
Upload filters and one-hour takedowns: the EU’s latest fight against terrorism online, explained Though acts of terrorism take place in the real world, they attain a kind of online afterlife. Materials like those from the recent Christchurch shooting proliferate as supporters upload them to any ... read more
The European Union is still facing major challenges in ensuring a better level of security for its citizens, in particular with regard to the fight against online terrorist content or, with regard to the police, access to electronic evidence. These are the two areas where work will need to be relaunched ... read more
Counterterrorism Operation in Italy Uncovers Massive Far-Right Weapons Cache
On 15 July, the General Investigations and Special Operations Division (DIGOS) of the Italian Police, in charge of investigating crimes involving political violence, terrorism, and organized crime, detained three men and seized a large arsenal of weapons, including a French-made Matra Super 530 air-to-air ... read more
FP: Germany Has a Neo-Nazi Terrorism Epidemic
How many political murders do far-right extremists have to commit before the German government does something about it? read more
EU States Eye Tribunal to Prosecute Islamic State Fighters
Officials from 11 European countries met in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday to discuss creating a tribunal to prosecute Islamic State fighters. Representatives from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom attended the meeting. ... read more
European Ethno-Nationalist and White Supremacy Groups
Saudi Arabia, Deradicalization, Deradicalization Program, Successful, pcve, rcc, pcve, P-CVE, extremism, radicalisation, radicalization, violent extremism, radicalization into violence, Regional cooperation Council, Vijeće za regionalnu saradnju, sigurnost, security, prevencija, referalni mehanizam, ... read more
Declaration of the Summit of the South East European Cooperation Process
JAHORINA – The EU Membership perspective has proved to be the most powerful incentive to encourage the necessary reforms as well as the best guarantee for the long-term peace, stability and security in the region, agreed participants of the Summit of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) ... read more
Ireland: Radicalized Youth and the Case Of Limerick City
The radicalization of youth is occurring unabated in urban centers throughout Ireland, but it has precious little to do with political or religious ideals. Instead, it is driven by the growth of gang culture and underpinned by social deprivation. What exactly precipitates this societal transformation ... read more
Strengthening Security Cooperation to Counter Terrorism Inside Europe
Strengthening Security Cooperation read more
Why Saudi Arabia’s Deradicalization Program is Successful
Saudi Arabia has one of the most successful deradicalization programs. According to Marisa L. Porges, an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations thinktank, the Saudi program to counter radicalization and fight terrorism can provide important lessons to the rest of the world, despite suffering from ... read more
The Delicate Balance Between Securitization and Humanitarianism in the Context of Counterterrorism
Securitization of individuals with potential links to terrorist organizations or a potential susceptibility to radicalization has been an issue for a long time, but has come to the forefront of the public discourse now that Western nations have found themselves trying to manage the return of foreign ... read more
Russians suspected of spreading fake news about Northern Ireland
Disinformation campaign believed to be first co-ordinated effort targeting Irish divisions read more
EUROPOL Report: Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2019 (TE-SAT)
In 2018, terrorism continued to constitute a major threat to security in EU Member States. Horrific attacks perpetrated by jihadists like those in Trèbes, Paris, Liège and Strasbourg killed a total of thirteen people and injured many more. In addition, one terrorist attack by a right-wing extremist ... read more
Canada adds neo-Nazi groups Blood & Honour, Combat 18 to list of terror organizations
The government has, for the first time, placed right-wing extremist groups on its list of outlawed terrorist organizations, adding the names of Blood & Honour and Combat 18. Announced in the government’s Canada Gazette, the action came after the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said in ... read more
Podcast: a day in the life of a (CVE) coordinator in Sweden
Podcast: a day in the life of a coordinator in Sweden read more
Working With the Youth: Countering Violent Extremism in North Macedonia
By Samet Shabani, Ján Cingel. After the collapse of Yugoslavia, the newly independent Balkan countries have become quite attractive for many movements, ideologies and organisations, including extremist groups with roots in the Middle East. Some of them came to the region during the Bosnian War between ... read more
Radicalisation in prisons: Council adopts conclusions
The Council today adopted conclusions on preventing and combatting radicalisation in prisons, and on dealing with terrorist and violent extremist offenders after release. The Council highlighted the importance and urgency of effective measures in this area, given the risk posed by the growing number ... read more
European Counterterrorism Strategies and Discourses: A Critical Evaluation
As the Syrian conflict winds down and more of the so-called returnees — those who joined the Islamic State (ISIS) and other terrorist groups — embark upon a journey back to their home countries in Europe, putting aside whether or not they will be allowed back in, the time is ripe to take a critical ... read more
A Closer Look at the Radicalization Awareness Network
The Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN) started operating in 2011 as one of the tools of the European Commission to increase Europe’s security through the EU Internal Security Strategy. According to this document, five strategic objectives are set, considering ‘Prevent terrorism and address radicalization’ ... read more
First He Became an American—Then He Joined ISIS
When the FBI discovered a network of Bosnian-Americans giving support to terrorists, they also discovered Abdullah Ramo Pazara, a U.S. citizen and a battalion commander in Syria. read more
Hacking ISIS – How to Destroy the Cyber Jihad
This book by Malcolm Nance and Chris Sampson, both experts in counterterrorism intelligence, is an absolute must-read. Despite the vast challenges of the task they took on, the authors were able to master a huge quantity of material and offer a good outlook on the history and evolution of cyber jihad. Even ... read more
Extremist Content Online: Neo-Nazis Continue Recruiting
CEP Report Writes of Feuerkrieg Division Creation & Their Online Tactics CEP Report Writes of Feuerkrieg Division Creation & Their Online Tactics The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by extremists to exploit the Internet and social media platforms to recruit ... read more
Poland opens probe into anti-Semitic incident at Auschwitz
Poland opens probe into anti-Semitic incident at Auschwitz WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish prosecutors are investigating an anti-Semitic protest by dozens of far-right nationalists outside the gates of Auschwitz. The incident took place Sunday in Oswiecim, the southern Polish town where Nazi ... read more
French yellow vest movement dogged by intolerance, extremism
PARIS — Intolerance and conspiracy theories have haunted the margins of France’s “yellow vest” movement since the first protests over fuel taxes roused the discontented middle of French society. The men and women in fluorescent safety vests blocking traffic and intimidating shoppers on ... read more
How to prevent violent extremism and radicalisation?
The terrorist attacks in Brussels have resulted in a political debate on how to strengthen police cooperation across Europe and whether European countries need to improve capacities for intelligence sharing. But this is only one side of the story. What's missing from the debate is a better understanding ... read more
Erdogan: Safe zones in Syria will allow refugees to return home
Turkish president says safe zones to be set up in northern Syria will allow more refugees to go back to the country. read more
Opinion: The Islamic State may have a new propaganda haven
Rita Katz is the executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group and a terrorism analyst. Even after the Islamic State lost massive swaths of territory in the past few years, there’s one place where it still has survived: the Internet. It hasn’t been an easy existence, especially in the ... read more
Ireland is questioning Facebook’s plan to merge Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp
Facebook’s previous data-sharing proposals have ‘given rise to significant data protection concerns’ read more
Fugitive Extremist Accused of Organizing 2015 Charlie Hebdo Attack Charged With Terrorism
French authorities handed preliminary terrorism charges Sunday to a fugitive extremist who is suspected of fighting U.S. forces in Iraq and helping to organize the 2015 shooting attack at satirical French newspaper Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people. Peter Cherif, who recently was arrested in the ... read more
EWB Interview - Engjellushe Morina: Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue must be more inclusive to succeed
Interview with Engjellushe Morina, Project Manager at the Berghof Foundation, where she is a part of Conflict Transformation Research Program focusing on the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) in the Western Balkans. The interview was conducted at the Belgrade Security Forum 2018, ... read more
In a tweet communicating his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the Islamic State (IS) has been defeated. Administration officials and Syria experts, however, disagree. Not only is IS still active in Syria, the group has also launched attacks in Europe ... read more
A look back at the year of the Facebook scandals
A look back at the year of the Facebook scandals Facebook has not had a good year, and least from the perspective of its users and the public at large. Crowning this was the involvement with Cambridge Analytica, but there have been other data privacy issues too. Facebook remains the biggest social ... read more
Extremism must not be allowed to take hold again in the region
As Ankara leads way on battle against ISIS, there is a danger of self-implosion in Syria read more
Increasing number of Australians fighting for Islamic State
Increasing number of Australians fighting for Islamic State read more
Inside Facebook’s Secret Rulebook for Global Political Speech
MENLO PARK, Calif. — In a glass conference room at its California headquarters, Facebook is taking on the bonfires of hate and misinformation it has helped fuel across the world, one post at a time. The social network has drawn criticism for undermining democracy and for provoking bloodshed ... read more
Study “New Virtual Battlefield – How to Prevent Online Radicalization in the Cyber Security Realm of the Western Balkans” was officially presented at the regional security conference held on December 6 in Istanbul. The main objective of thisstudy is to provide a comprehensive overview and ... read more
How Vulnerable is Jordan to Violent Extremism?
Jordan has long been thought of as an island of stability in a volatile region. However, the country suffers from enduring (and potentially explosive) political, economic and social tensions. In an effort to further explore these dynamics, IRI designed and commissioned qualitative research on the ... read more
The Far-Right and Islamism: A Complicated Love Story
Daniel Rickenbacher, postdoctoral researcher in the fields of Modern History and International Relations, Concordia University (Canada) Introduction The European Right is generally believed to be opposed to political Islam. This is certainly true for most right-wing conservative and populist parties. The ... read more
EU to become more cyber-proof as Council backs deal on common certification and beefed-up agency
EU-wide cybersecurity certification will soon be available for Internet-connected devices, enabling consumers to make more informed choices and making it easier for companies to market their smart products across Europe. Today, member states' ambassadors approved the proposed Cybersecurity Act, which ... read more
Grassroots deradicalisation project allows youth to be part of the solution
Experts in the field of de-radicalisation have pointed to the growing importance of community-driven projects read more
For many observers, Turkey remains an enigma. Increasingly the country is seen through the prism of one complex man – the commanding presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Considered from the historical perspective, the situation today is unusual. For decades, Turkey was regarded as a secular ... read more
Study “New Virtual Battlefield – How to Prevent Online Radicalization in the Cyber Security Realm of the Western Balkans” was officially presented at the regional security conference held on December 6 in Istanbul. The main objective of thisstudy is to provide a comprehensive overview and ... read more
An Interview with Dr. John Horgan – Terrorism, Psychology, and Major Issues in the Field
John Horgan is a Psychology Professor with the Global Studies Institute of Georgia State University. His research focuses on psychological issues in terrorism and political violence. He is especially interested in understanding the processes through which people become involved in (and disengage ... read more
On November 14 2018, Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid held its sixth Forum on Terrorism and Radicalization. This year the focus was on prisons. The one day event was held in partnership with the US Embassy in Spain and saw a high number of top-level policymakers, terrorism experts and practitioners ... read more
Istanbul hosts 3rd Regional Coordination Conference for Counter-Terrorism and Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism in South East Europe Istanbul – The Third Regional Coordination Conference for Counter-Terrorism (CT) and Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in South ... read more
Study “New Virtual Battlefield – How to Prevent Online Radicalization in the Cyber Security Realm of the Western Balkans” was officially presented at the regional security conference held on December 6 in Istanbul. The main objective of thisstudy is to provide a comprehensive overview and ... read more
Bosnia struggles with return of ISIS widows
Several thousand women who followed husbands to Syria and Iraq are stuck in limbo, often with young children. read more
How France was forced to reassess its ideas about radicalised youth
When Paris was hit by two major terrorist attacks in 2015, France embarked on a painful journey to understand the radicalisation of its youth. Three years later, researchers have discredited initial theories about the “typical” home-grown terrorist. On January 7, 2015, three Islamist terrorists ... read more
Neo-Nazi couple found guilty of membership of banned terror group
Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas were members of National Action, banned in 2016 read more
Albania bans 52 Greeks after 'extremism' at funeral
TIRANA (AFP) - Tirana has banned 52 Greek nationals from entering the country over what it labelled their "extremist" behaviour at the funeral of an ethnic Greek man killed by Albanian police, an official said late Friday. The 52 were banned as their "intolerable manifestation ... read more
Limassol - Western Balkans’ Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) met in Limassol, Cyprus today, within International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Cyber Drill - ALERT (Applied Learning for Emergency Response Teams) for Europe Region that is taking place to from 26-30 November ... read more
Iranian hackers suspected in cyber breach and extortion attempt on Navy shipbuilder Austal
Iranian hackers are believed to be responsible for a cyber security breach and extortion attempt on Australia's biggest defence exporter. Perth-based shipbuilder Austal earlier this month revealed an "unknown offender" had hacked into its computer systems, accessing staff email addresses ... read more
Junaid Hussain originally wanted to be a rapper. As it turned out, the Pakistani kid in Birmingham, England, lived life instead on the internet, and at internet speed. In just a decade, from age 11 to 21, he went from gaming to hacking to killing, an arc the world had never seen before, unfolding ... read more
Social media and youth violence
Social media plays a very central role in the lives of young people in the UK today. While it creates opportunities, this brave new world brings with it some very serious safeguarding challenges for professionals working with young people. Our new Catch22 report, in partnership with University College ... read more
Extremism Trends in Georgia Introduction The country of Georgia’s political history, demographic makeup[1] and geographic location create a unique landscape for the development of radicalization and violent extremism. Over the past five years, the recruitment of jihadist foreign fighters to the ... read more
Hedayah Calls for Proposals - Support of Civil Society Initiatives to build the capacity of journalism sector to Prevent/Counter Violent Extremism in Central Asia and Turkey, MENA, South Caucasus and Western Balkans region read more
'Astonishing findings' in new Swedish report on extremism and organized crime
A new Swedish report on extremism and organized crime paints a completely new picture of what the stereotypical offender behind those types of crimes looks like. 'We've been totally astonished by the findings,' the head author of the study told The Local. The report, 'Violent Extremism ... read more
When social media inspires real life violence
A new report reignites the idea that social media users can be manipulated by misinformation, enabling a variety of actors to trigger violence between different groups. Morgan Meaker reports. read more
Region’s Military Intelligence Chiefs discuss cyber security challenges in the Western Balkans
Tirana – The South East European Military Intelligence Chiefs (SEEMIC) adopted the Open-source intelligence (OSINT) assessment dedicated to ‘Challenges to critical infrastructure cyber security in South East Europe ' at their 10th Conference held on 7 November 2018 in Tirana, Albania. The event ... read more
CNN Business: Facebook promised to fix political ads on its platform. It hasn't.
New York (CNN Business)Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, pledged to fix how it handles political and issue ads in the wake of Russian meddling in 2016. But just days before the midterm elections, a key part of Facebook's effort is broken, and it's unclear if the company is doing anything to ... read more
US demands Europe allows 600 ISIS widows to return - ‘Take them back!'
JIHADI brides who left Europe to marry ISIS fighters wreaking death and destruction across large swathes of Syria and Iraq should now be taken back by their home countries, according to US counter-terrorism chiefs. More than 650 European citizens, many of them children, have been held by US-backed ... read more
BBC: Private messages from 81,000 hacked Facebook accounts for sale
Hackers appear to have compromised and published private messages from at least 81,000 Facebook users' accounts. The perpetrators told the BBC Russian Service that they had details from a total of 120 million accounts, which they were attempting to sell, although there are reasons to be sceptical ... read more
The new OSCE Guidebook on “The Role of Civil Society in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism: A focus on South-Eastern Europe” read more
Times: Jihadis are back in Kosovo - "caliphate is not dead"
British daily the Times has published an article under the headline, "ISIS jihadists back in Kosovo ready to die for caliphate." read more
Budva - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) hosts a Regional Workshop on media coverage of violent extremism-related topics for journalists from the Western Balkans, in Budva, Montenegro, today. read more
Rise of right-wing extremists presents new challenge for Canadian law enforcement agencies
In a three-part series, the Star looks at the rise of white nationalist and right-wing extremist groups in Canada, and what authorities are doing to identify and suppress these threats. This is part 1. To read the second part, click here and to read the third part, click here. read more
Pushing terrorist propaganda 'underground' could make extremists harder to detect, government warned
Watchdog cautions against proposed new laws that would make viewing material a criminal offence read more
Budva - The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is organising a Regional Workshop on media coverage of violent extremism-related topics for journalists from the Western Balkans, on 25 October 2018, in Budva, Montenegro. Journalist from all over Western Balkans together with regional and international ... read more
This National Cybersecurity Strategy Guide is one of the most comprehensive overviews of what constitute successful cybersecurity strategies. It is the result of a unique, collaborative and equitable multi-stakeholder effort, which taps into the knowledge, experience and expertise of many organisations ... read more
Terror cell busts in Denmark and Holland spark fears of homegrown attackers with Isis links
‘The conflict in Syria has built momentum for the global jihadi movement. Even if we are able to defeat them in Syria they have built a worldwide movement’ read more
Fighting Online Terrorist Speech
The European Commission proposed legislation targeting illegal online terrorism propaganda. While an important step in recognizing the importance of the fight against online extremism, the proposal looks set to alarm free speech advocates, while failing to curb online hate. read more
French police raid Muslim club in counter-terror swoop
LILLE, France (Reuters) - French police raided the premises of a Muslim club before dawn on Tuesday as well as the homes of members of the club, in a swoop that the local government prefect's office said was prompted by serious suspicions of pro-Islamist militancy. read more
Joint statement SEDM Ministers of Defence meeting, Belgrade, 11. ocotober 2018.
Southeast Europe Defence Ministerial Coordination Committee (SEDM-CC) and Politico-Military Steering Committee (PMSC) read more
FATF team in Pakistan to examine steps taken against terror financing
Pakistan was formally added to the 'grey list' of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism and related causes after a FATF meeting in Paris in June. read more
On October 4, the White House issued its new National Strategy for Counterterrorism. This is a long and welcome document, and I want to discuss only one element of the strategy: the role of civil society. read more
Closer international cooperation to fight hostage-taking, kidnapping and terrorism
ATLAS, the network of special intervention units, signs terms of cooperation with Europol read more
The New York Times Opinion: Did Facebook Learn Anything From the Cambridge Analytica Debacle?
An even bigger data breach suggests it didn’t. read more
Kosovo* Detains Man Suspected of Joining Syria Terror Groups
PRISTINA, Kosovo — A Kosovo court has put a suspect under a month's detention for allegedly taking part in terror groups in Syria as a foreign fighter. read more
Tirana, Albania (5 October 2018) -- Effective border management and the fight against illegal migration, radicalisation and terrorism remain priorities for both EU and the Western Balkan countries, the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs, taking place in Tirana, underlined. read more
Another day, another announcement from Facebook that it has failed to protect your personal information. Were you one of the 50 million (and likely far more, given the company’s graduated disclosure style) users whose accounts were completely exposed by a coding error in play for more than a ... read more
The Ministers acknowledged that terrorism and radicalisation continue to be a common challenge for the European Union and the Western Balkans region and that close cooperation was essential for preventing radicalisation and terrorism. Ministers agreed that the existing formats and networks of cooperation, ... read more
Signature of the Joint Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism for the Western Balkans
At today’s EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home affairs, the representatives of the six Western Balkans partners and, for the EU, Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos, signed a Joint Action Plan on Counter-Terrorism for the Western Balkans. This achievement marks a big step forward ... read more
Suspected Far-Right Terrorism Ring Leads to 7 Arrests in Germany
BERLIN — Seven Germans described by the authorities as belonging to the “hooligan, skinhead and neo-Nazi scenes” in eastern Germany have been arrested on suspicion of building a far-right terrorist organization called Revolution Chemnitz — named for the city that was rocked by recent street ... read more
China seeks global role for elite counter-terrorism forces
Beijing believes its growing international interests must be protected from terrorism read more
Skopje - A seminar on prevention and countering of violent extremism (P/CVE) in the Western Balkans (WB) gathering security practitioners from the region and distinguished regional and international lecturers is being held in Skopje today. The seminar has been organised by the Regional Cooperation ... read more
Does Islamism Pose a Serious Challenge to Democratic Societies?
The short answer to this question is yes, because Islamism promotes an authoritarian ideology and seeks power based on religion, not democratic values . It is actually similar to totalitarian dictatorships in its key traits – Nazism, fascism, and communism on one side and despotic theocratic ... read more
RCC Workshop: „Training the Trainers” (P/CVE )
In cooperation with the Office of the National Coordinator for Preventing Violent Extremism and Terrorism of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the RCC will on October 2-4 2018 in Skopje, organise two days of “Training the Trainers” workshop aimed at boosting skills and knowledge base ... read more
Hearts, Minds, and Jihad Online
In his annual State of the Union address on September 12 2018, the European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude Juncker announced a new bid to force social media companies to do more in the fight against extremism. His proposal would require top companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to ... read more
A U.S. Soldier Has Pleaded Guilty to Trying to Help the Islamic State
(HONOLULU) — A soldier based in Hawaii pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to help the Islamic State group, telling a judge he provided secret military information, a drone meant to track U.S. troops and other support to undercover agents he believed were members of the terrorist organization. read more
US considers Guantanamo, Iraqi prisons for ISIS fighters captured by Syrian rebels: report
The Trump administration is considering sending hundreds of captured ISIS fighters held in Syria to an Iraqi prison or the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, NBC News reported Monday. read more
US pastor held in Turkey prepared to go to European court: lawyer
Case to be taken to European Court of Human Rights if Andrew Brunson is not released by Turkish judiciary, lawyer says. read more
Big Tech is overselling AI as the solution to online extremism
In mid-September the European Union threatened to fine the Big Tech companies if they did not remove terrorist content within one hour of appearing online. The change came because rising tensions are now developing and being played out on social media platforms. read more
Social Media's Stepped-Up Crackdown on Terrorists Still Falls Short
YouTube, Facebook and other sites are working together to find and delete extremist propaganda and recruiting videos, but a new study says they can do better read more
Theresa May urges firms to pump cash into African ventures to help fight terrorism
British firms should pump cash into African ventures to help fight terrorism, Theresa May urges today. read more
Russia says 63,000 troops have seen combat in Syria
Russia has revealed the extent of its military involvement in Syria's war. read more
IISG and DCAF Ljubljana Strengthen Partnership with the Centre for European Future
Centre for European Perspective has been active in providing the security in the Western Balkans region, which would not be possible without good partners. On the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum, CEP’s Executive Director Dr Gorazd Justinek signed a memorandum of understanding between CEP, ... read more
#RCC’s Head of Political Department Amer Kapetanovic taking part in #Interior and #Security ministers’ Conference on High+Tech Crime & Information Security ‘Connect Securely!’ in Belgrade 20-21 September 2018 - cooperation in information security and combating high-tech crime. read more
Sarajevo – Close to 50 students from various Universities across Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in BiH capital today at the one-day Workshop, organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) at Faculty for Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies of University of Sarajevo, to ... read more
EUROPOL: 15 ways you could be the next victim of cybercrime
Europol’s latest cybercrime report provides insights into emerging threats and key developments Cybercriminals are adopting creative new techniques to target their victims at an unprecedented pace and are constantly seeking methods to avoid law enforcement detection. To stay ahead of them, ... read more
Another EU Law Threatening Google and Facebook With Enormous Fines
The European Union may hit companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter with yet another new law that comes with massive fines for non-compliance, and this time it’s all about terror. read more
UN Urges Facebook to ‘Proactively’ Fight Hate Speech
GENEVA — The UN human rights chief urged Facebook Wednesday to more proactively address hate speech but warned against excessive regulation, after US President Donald Trump accused tech giants’ platforms of bias against him. read more
Europe should counter Iran’s cyber espionage, infiltration, terrorism
The more discord persists in the West over the means of responding to Iranian covert operations, the more impact these operations will have, writes Alejo Vidal-Quadras. read more
The Regional Cooperation Council convened on September 11 in Bled (Slovenia) directors and experts of the national security authorities from the SEE (SEENSA) in order to discuss the importance of boosting cyber resilience in the Western Balkans and the South East Europe. read more
Bled – Speaking at the panels dedicated to security and rule-of-law of the 13th edition of the Bled Strategic Forum, the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Goran Svilanovic, emphasized the inextricable links between the two and economic performance. read more
France Prime Minister has unveiled a new plan that could curb terror
France has been reported to be crafting very efficient counterterrorism mechanisms. It has consistently been developing new organizations that are meant to track radicalized inmates. The bodies are supposed to identify and pinpoint the extremists that are a great risk of turning out violent. In the ... read more
On 5-6 September 2018, Workshop “Enhancing cooperation with the Western Balkans within the EU Policy Cycle to tackle Organised and Serious International Crime – synergies, challenges and ideas” took place in Belgrade. read more
Juncker’s Letter of intent: Export stability to the Western Balkans
STRASBOURG – After his annual State of the Union speech earlier today, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker sent a Letter of intent to the President of European Parliament Antonio Tajani and Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of the current EU-presiding country. The Letter describes ... read more
EU Elections 2019: Critical cyberattacks loom, Estonia warns
The 2019 European elections could be hit by a spate of cyberattacks, which could even prevent the new European Parliament from convening, a report led by the Estonian Information System Authority has warned. read more
Opinion - How the Far Right Conquered Sweden
A bastion of social democracy, the country refused to deal with the realities of mass immigration. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/06/opinion/how-the-far-right-conquered-sweden.html read more
Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is organising a one-day workshop to discuss early signs of radicalisation among youth in local communities with students from across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The event is to take place at Faculty for Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies ... read more
Chemnitz Protests Show New Strength of Germany’s Far Right
A Syrian refugee and father of two, Anas al-Nahlawie, watched horrified from a friend’s fourth-floor balcony. They were hunting in packs for immigrants just like him, he said. “Like wolves.” read more
Cybersecurity agency hopes for 24/7 crisis response centre in Brussels
The EU cybersecurity agency ENISA wants to open its first Brussels office by mid-2019 to manage major crises around the clock. read more
Western Balkans are partners in our common security and defence policy
High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini stressed today at the informal meeting of the EU defence ministers in Vienna the EU cooperation with Western Balkans partners in addressing common challenges in the area of security and defence. "We have a good cooperation, including participation ... read more
Jimmy Carter: In Syria, an Ugly Peace Is Better Than More War
At their summit in Helsinki, Finland, in July, President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia reportedly agreed to end the Syrian war and to move Iranian forces away from the Syria-Israel border. President Trump has also indicated that he is willing to accept President Bashar al-Assad’s ... read more
Online-inspired extremists are ‘the greatest terrorist threat,’ declassified CSIS document says
Two persons were killed and one seriously wounded in a knife attack in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Thursday, police said. The knife attacker was then shot by police, a source said. read more
Germany to launch US-style agency to develop cyberdefense
Agency will be modeled after the US Pentagon research agency DARPA. read more
US urges 'enduring defeat' of IS, offers force if necessary
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley urged all countries on Thursday to ensure that the Islamic State extremist group faces "an enduring defeat" and said the United States will deepen partnerships with countries fighting terrorism "when force is necessary." read more
In cooperation with the Faculty of criminalistics, criminology and security studies of the University of Sarajevo, the RCC will on September 18th gather in Sarajevo students from Bihac, Banjaluka, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar and Sarajevo in order to discuss early signs of radicalisation in local communities and ... read more
Telegram to Turn Over Terror Suspects’ Data Under New Privacy Policy
Telegram users suspected of terrorism will now have their personal data turned over to the authorities on court orders under the messaging app’s new privacy policy. read more
Paramilitary Chief Arrested For Allegedly Joining Separatist War In Ukraine
Bratislav Zivkovic, the commander of the Chetnik paramilitary force in Serbia, has been arrested on suspicion of organizing a group of Serbs who joined Russia-backed separatists in their war against Ukraine's government, Serbia's Interior Ministry said on August 23. read more
European Commission launches Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans
BRUSSELS – Today at the Digital Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria, the European Commission is launching the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans. read more
Defeating extremism in the Balkans
As a region deeply connected to the EU, the Western Balkans should no longer be forgotten. With Austria’s upcoming presidency of the EU, it is high time to reboot the region’s economic development and its integration into the Union, as well as recognise its progress in countering terrorism, ... read more
Programme To Tackle Islamic Extremism Launched in North East England
AN educational programme tackling Islamic extremism in the North-East has been officially launched. read more
U.N. invites Iran, Russia, Turkey to talks on Syria next month
GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has invited Iran, Russia and Turkey to talks on Syria’s Constitutional Committee, to be held in Geneva on Sept. 11-12, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday. read more
Ministarska konferencija o visokotehnološkom kriminalu i informacionoj bezbjednosti "Poveži se sigurno" će se održati u Beogradu, u Palati Srbija, 20. i 21. septembra 2018. godine u organizaciji Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova Srbije. read more
France expels 'mentor' of 2015 militants to Algeria
PARIS: France on Monday expelled a radical Islamic preacher to Algeria after his release from prison, where he became a mentor to at least two militants who carried out deadly attacks on a satirical newspaper and a Jewish supermarket in January 2015, officials said. read more
Radicalization in Greece: Trends and Challenges
In Greece, radicalization leading to violent extremism and terrorism is mainly politically driven and connected with the outcome of two central traumatic events – the civil war of 1944-1949 and the military dictatorship of 1967-1974. read more
Returning Western Balkans Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Putting the Challenge in Perspective
Starting in 2012, the countries of the Western Balkans saw an unprecedented outflow of nationals to Middle East conflicts. Around 1,100 citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia, including some from the Balkans diaspora in Western Europe, traveled to ... read more
Ministers of the Western Balkans endorse the IISG mechanism in the Western Balkans
Today, at Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, the IISG Board at the level of ministers of interior/security was convened in the framework of the hosting Brdo Process led by the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior. The ministers expressed their full support and endorsed the establishment of the IISG framework ... read more
Dutch Banks Mix With Cops, Prosecutors in Bid to Fight Terrorism
Police, prosecutors and the four biggest banks in the Netherlands have teamed up to sift through financial data in a hunt to prevent the next terrorist attack in Europe. read more
France Begins Release of Hundreds of Radicalized Inmates [The Wall Street Journal]
PARIS—Five years ago, police arrested a Frenchman in his 20s who had acquired fake identification and bought paramilitary-style clothing as part of a plan to join militants in Syria. read more
Google’s Redirect Program: An Anemic Response to the Plague of Terror Content
Google’s attempts to tackle the dangers of terrorist content on its online platforms, including YouTube, have come far too late and remain disturbingly inadequate, according to findings in a new study by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP). read more
Radicalized children pose security ‘risk’ in Germany: report
Exposure of minors to radical Islam is ‘alarming,’ German authorities warn. read more
Iraq jails French and German citizens for life for joining Islamic State
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi court sentenced a French man and a German woman to life in prison on Monday for belonging to Islamic State, forging ahead with the trial of hundreds of people - many foreigners - captured after the militant group’s defeat last year. read more
France plans new counterterrorism units, as threat persists
France is beefing up its counterterrorism powers and creating new bodies to track radicalized inmates and better identify extremists at risk of turning to violence. read more
French jihadist claims that ISIS trained child soldiers to launch attacks on EU
ISIS made concrete plans to send child soldiers to Europe to carry out attacks against Western targets, A French jihadist has claimed. The children, mostly Syrians, will only be sent to Europe once they reach adolescence in an effort to make facial recognition virtually impossible, the jihadist ... read more
Jihad’s next battleground: The fight against Islamic State is moving to Africa
Violent Islamist groups are gaining strength in the Sahel. A report from Nigeria and Niger. read more
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia : 7 arrested for allegedly fighting in Syria, Iraq
SKOPJE, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia — Macedonian police say they have arrested seven people on suspicion of terrorism for allegedly participating as fighters in the wars in Syria and Iraq. read more
46 years of terrorist attacks in Europe, visualized
From 1970 to 2016: 5,215 people died from bombings.2,463 from assassinations.2,270 from assaults.957 from hostage situations.183 from hijackings.88 from building attacks.Thousands wounded or missing. read more
Violent extremism: how communities can help counter it
Local communities are being called upon to help prevent radicalisation. In a bid to counter violent extremism, UK home secretary Sajid Javid recently launched the government’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism. It calls for “stronger partnerships with communities, civil society groups, public ... read more
Commission for Countering Extremism appealing for submissions to improve understanding of radicalisation read more
US release of 3D-printed gun software blocked
A US federal judge in Seattle has blocked the release of software that allows consumers to 3D-print firearms. read more
In cooperation with the Office of the National Coordinator for Preventing Violent Extremism and Terrorism of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the RCC will on October 2-4 2018 in Skopje, organise two days of “Training the Trainers” workshop aimed at boosting skills and knowledge base ... read more
In cooperation with the Faculty of criminalistics, criminology and security studies of the University of Sarajevo, the RCC will on September 18th gather in Sarajevo students from Bihac, Banjaluka, Tuzla, Zenica, Mostar and Sarajevo in order to discuss early signs of radicalisation in local communities and ... read more
Pakistan Put Back On Terror-Financing Watch List, Vows To Improve
Pakistan's return to a watch list could further handicap chances of attracting Western investment in Pakistan's fragile economy. read more
Launch of the Teacher’s Manual on Prevention of Violent Extremism
The Italian Embassy and the Ministry of Education Science and Technology supported by UNDP in Kosovo launched today the Teacher’s Manual on Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE). read more
The New York Times: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Gets an Earful From the E.U.
European lawmakers barraged Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, on Tuesday with a litany of questions about his company’s global power, its role in elections and its misuse of user data. One even raised the prospect of breaking up the social media giant. But the meeting in Brussels ended ... read more
Montenegro to Join NATO Cyber-Defence Centre
After suffering a number of cyber-attacks that are believed to have originated from Russia, Montenegro is beefing up its defences by joining the NATO-backed group based in Estonia. read more
Violent Extremist or Political Candidate? In Pakistan Election, You Can Be Both
KARACHI, Pakistan — Aurangzeb Farooqi is a leader of a political party that is banned in Pakistan for espousing sectarian violence. He faces charges of spreading religious hatred that was linked to the murders of several Shiite activists. read more
Support of Civil Society Initiatives to P/CVE in Central Asia, Western Balkans & MENA regions. Find more information here, https://lnkd.in/fcQHiTw read more
Facebook faces U.K. fine over its privacy scandal
LONDON — Facebook is facing its first financial penalty for allowing the data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica to forage through the personal data of millions of unknowing Facebook users. read more
The High-Level Commission Expert Group on Radicalisation (HLCEG-R) published its Final Report
Established in July 2017 by the European Commission, the High-Level Commission Expert Group on Radicalisation (HLCEG-R), whose task was to offer advice on ways to improve cooperation among stakeholders and Member States, the further development of policies for the prevention of radicalisation, ... read more
Counter-terrorism Funding Watchdog Slams Iran With Reform Deadline
Hardliners in Iran's parliament have opposed passing legislation toward compliance with FATF standards, arguing it could hamper financial support for allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah read more
Facebook Reveals Apps, Others That Got Special Access to User Data
Answers in a 747-page document to Congress contrast with previous statements that it restricted access to outsiders in 2015 read more
Terrorist threat in the EU remains high despite the decline of IS in Iraq and Syria
New EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report describes terrorist incidents and activities on European soilIn 2017, 68 innocent victims lost their lives as a result of terrorist attacks in the European Union (EU) – reason enough for Europol not to reduce its efforts ... read more
A Reality Check on #Bigtech’s Pledge to Combat Online Terror
Social media companies continue to pull wool over the eyes of the American people pledging, but failing, to go the extra mile to remove extremist content from their platforms. Despite more terror attacks and promises to do better, Silicon Valley refuses to adopt a zero-tolerance policy against terrorist ... read more
WBCTi: Kick Off Meeting of the Western Balkan Regional Network of National P-CVE Coordinators
In pursuit of achieving the goals set up in the WBCTi Integrative Plan of Action 2018-2020, adopted by the IISG Board in March 2018, and in consideration of the recent EU Western Balkan Strategy the IISG Support Group, together with the EUD / EUSR to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the CEELI Institute organized ... read more
Four arrested over planning terror attacks in Kosovo
PRISTINA (AFP) - Police in Kosovo and Germany on Friday (June 29), in simultaneous raids, arrested four Kosovans suspected of plotting terrorist attacks in the Balkan country, officials said. read more
Balkan Jihadi Warriors Remain Safe On The Net – Analysis
While Balkan countries have curbed the flow of fighters to foreign wars, the online space is still a haven for Islamist extremists who remain out of reach there, recruiting and spreading messages of hate. By Fatjona Mejdini, Marija Ristic, Denis Dzidic, Ervin Qafmolla, Sinisa Jakov Marusic and Natalia ... read more
Council of the European Union conclusions on enlargement and stabilisation and association process
Council of the European Union adopted conclusions on the EU's enlargement policy and the EU-Western Balkans stabilisation and association process read more
More lone wolf terror attacks 'very likely' warns Europol crime agency
More lone wolf terror attacks such as those carried out in Manchester and most recently in the Belgian city of Liege are “very likely” to hit the European Union, Europol warned as it revealed the number of jihadist attacks in the EU had more than doubled in 2017. read more
Crowdsourcing terror in Indonesia
In the wake of high-profile terrorist attacks in Indonesia, social media’s role in violent extremism is once again under scrutiny. The 36-hour standoff on May 8 between inmates linked to the so-called Islamic State (IS) and prison officers at Mako Brimob (the detention centre of the Indonesian National ... read more
Heads of counter-terrorism agencies from across the world will be meeting at UN Headquarters in New York next week for the first time, to pool expertise, resources and ideas to fight back against the growing scourge of international terrorism. read more
Nazis turn to Google Plus after Facebook and Twitter crackdown
Extremist groups sharing racist and anti-Semitic content are migrating to Goolge's social media platform read more
ALMOST 400 Brit jihadis who fought ISIS in Syria are now back in the UK - but just one in ten have been prosecuted. Ministers have now been told to "urgently toughen our terror laws" after the explosive figures were revealed in Parliament. read more
Cyber Caliphate: What Apps Are the Islamic State Using?
As the argument goes, law enforcement agencies must protect the safety of citizens, and to do so, they must be in contact with representatives of the IT sector. This in turn compels the representatives of mail services, messaging apps, and smartphone manufacturers to contact the authorities and disclose ... read more
Tirana – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and Albanian Ministry of Justice are hosting a regional workshop on law enforcement/judicial services and state attorneys/prosecutors in dealing with terrorism and violent extremism and connected crimes, in Tirana today. It gathers judges, prosecutors ... read more
SKOPJE/SARAJEVO – The third regular meeting of the South East Europe (SEE) National Focal Points (NFP) for countering radicalization and violent extremism (CVE) and foreign terrorist fighters (FTF), took place Wednesday in Skopje, Regional Cooperation Council stated. read more
The Regional conference on law enforcement/judicial services and state attorneys/prosecutors in dealing with terrorism and violent extremism–connected crimes, which is to be held in Tirana, Albania on 29-30 May 2018, will gather judges, prosecutors and experts from the Western Balkans, guests from ... read more
The New York Times: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Gets an Earful From the E.U.
European lawmakers barraged Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, on Tuesday with a litany of questions about his company’s global power, its role in elections and its misuse of user data. One even raised the prospect of breaking up the social media giant. But the meeting in Brussels ended ... read more
Returning IS Fighters in the Balkans: Beyond the Immediate Security Threat
- Over the years, the nations of the Western Balkans have seen about 1,000 of their citizens join al-Qaeda’s Syria wing, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), and move on to join so-called Islamic State (IS). [1] They have hailed from majority-Muslim communities in Bosnia, Albania, ... read more
The conference/workshop will gather representatives of prosecutor’s offices and courts from the Western Balkans who are dealing with issues of violent extremism, radicalisation and terrorism and experts/practitioners for the legal procedures in dealing with procedures of document classification and ... read more
The Problem With Using AI To Fight Terrorism On Social Media
Social media has a terrorism problem. From Twitter’s famous 2015 letter to Congress that it would never restrict the right of terrorists to use its platform, to its rapid about-face in the face of public and governmental outcry, Silicon Valley has had a change of heart in how it sees its role in ... read more
Money laundering and terrorist financing: new rules adopted
On 14 May 2018, the Council adopted a directive strengthening EU rules to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. The directive sets out to close down criminal finance without hindering the normal functioning of payment systems. Amending directive 2015/849, it is part of an action plan ... read more
Terrorists Are Still Recruiting on Facebook, Despite Zuckerberg’s Reassurances
In the past month, Mark Zuckerberg has boasted to Congress and investors that Facebook Inc.’s artificial intelligence programs are turning the tide against extremism on his site. “One thing that I’m proud of is our AI tools that help us take down ISIS and al-Qaeda-related terror content, with ... read more
Report: Facebook Really Is Connecting People, Specifically ISIS
Facebook is connecting more than just distant relatives who post too much about their children, at least per a recent study that concludes it is connecting new affiliates to the Islamic State’s digital networks. According to the Telegraph, researchers with the Counter Extremism Project analyzed ... read more
“Facebook has helped introduce thousands of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) extremists to one another, via its 'suggested friends' feature, it can be revealed. Researchers, who analysed the Facebook activities of a thousand Isil supporters in 96 countries, discovered users with radical Islamist ... read more
Why the ‘lone jihadi’ poses the greatest terror threat to this summer’s World Cup in Russia
Security experts have named "lone jihadi" attacks the biggest terror threat during the 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer. Terror threats have been driven by Russia's military involvement in Syria and separatist militancy in its disputed Northern Caucasus region. By ... read more
The event was aimed to debate on inter-connection between countering online radicalization and cyber security efforts and to provide some recommendations for action for the main stakeholders – relevant national authorities first and foremost. The debate was centred on the following important aspects: ... read more
Global experts attend Paris conference to combat terrorist financing
Ministers from 80 countries and nearly 500 experts gathered in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday for a conference on combating the financing of terror groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda, French officials said. The idea of the two-day conference, which will close with a speech by French President ... read more
G7 tells tech firms to boost efforts to combat extremism
TORONTO - The Group of Seven leading industrialized nations on Tuesday told leading tech and social media companies to ramp up efforts to combat the spread of extremism, a top Canadian official said. G7 security ministers raised their concerns during a Toronto meeting with Facebook, Twitter ... read more
“Military intelligence professionals are best placed to find ways for overcoming unconventional security threats, including those created by massive migration,” State Secretary of Defence of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Aurel Fondos said. read more
Cyber Security: Regional Expert Conference and Workshop on Countering Online Radicalisation
Belgrade - Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) organised a two-day regional Conference and Workshop tackling countering online radicalisation in the context of cyber security in Belgrade on 17-18 April 2018. Conference is a part of the joint project between the RCC and Centre for Democratic Control ... read more
Voices from outside Russia have also criticized Telegram for not doing enough to clamp down on terrorists using the app. “Terrorists and extremist groups such as ISIS (Daesh) use encrypted applications like Telegram because it allows them to recruit new members, fundraise, incite to violence, and ... read more
Threat of foreign terrorists more global than ever
While the Islamic State has lost control of 98 percent of its territory, the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters has already spread more globally than ever before. And though the U.S. is not the main target, it’s not excluded, either. According to a new report by the Counter-Terrorism Committee ... read more
CEP On Facebook Senate Hearing: Zuckerberg’s Claims About Extremist Content Removal Are False
CEP Finds Extremist Content On Facebook New York, NY – Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Executive Director David Ibsen today released the following statement regarding Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony before members of the U.S. Senate Committees on the Judiciary and Commerce: “Despite ... read more
New Report: The Media Literacy index (2018)
Balkan Countries Most Vulnerable to 'Fake' News, Report The 2018 Media Literacy index of the Open Society Institute in Sofia says Balkan countries are the most susceptible in Europe to 'fake' news – owing to their highly controlled media, low educational levels and low levels of trust in society. read more
Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) is organising a two-day event including regional workshop and conference tackling countering online radicalisation in the context of cyber security in Belgrade on 17-18 April 2018. read more
Skopje to host the first Western Balkans Digital Summit
Skopje – The first Western Balkans Digital Summit is to take place on 18-19 April in Skopje, bringing together Heads of Governments from the Western Balkans (WB), Ministers responsible for digital agenda from WB and European Union (EU) member states participating in the Berlin Process, European ... read more
RAN Centre of Excellence Policy & Practice Event: Common P/CVE challenges in the WB and EU
RAN Centre of Excellence Policy & Practice Event: Common P/CVE challenges in the Western Balkans and European Union. read more
RCC: Ljubljana hosts 3-day training for young diplomats and SEENSA meeting
Ljubljana – Personnel security and awareness raising issues were the main topics of the South East European National Security Authorities (SEENSA) expert working group meeting, which was hosted by the Republic of Slovenia’s Government Office for the Protection of Classified Information (NSA) ... read more
The 6th EWG on the Revision of the MFPSEE Agreement, the 39th PMSC and 38th SEDM-CC Meetings of the South East Europe Defence Ministerial Process, chaired by Athens, took place from 19 to 22 March 2018 in Thessaloniki. read more
Brdo near Kranj – Second Regional Coordination Conference for Counter-Terrorism (CT) and Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in South East Europe (SEE), discussing the enhancement of cooperation and coordination of CT and P/CVE programmes and activities in the region, commenced ... read more
Security Council unanimously adopts resolution on countering terrorist narratives
Acting on a proposal developed by its Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Security Council on 24 May 2017 adopted a resolution on countering terrorist narratives. read more
Religious Extremism Has Grown In Kosovo*, UN Study
UNDP analysis blames rise in extremism in Kosovo over last two decades on factors including corruption, unemployment, Kosovo's isolation - and the activity of Middle Eastern-based humanitarian organisations. read more
Security Union: Commission follows up on terrorist radicalisation
The European Commission reports on progress made towards an effective and genuine Security Union, including priorities like countering radicalisation, enhancing cybersecurity and protecting public spaces. read more
RCC Board meets for the 34th time
Sarajevo – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretary General Goran Svilanovic presented the Report on the organisation's activities in the last quarter of the past year at the first meeting of the Board of in 2018, held in Sarajevo today. read more
Rakitje – Regional expert workshop “Prosecution, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters”, organised by Centre for Security Cooperation - RACVIAC in cooperation with Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ... read more
Budva – Open-source intelligence (OSINT) assessment dedicated to ‘Use of Social Media by violent extremists' has been adopted by the South East European Military Intelligence Chiefs (SEEMIC) at their 9th Conference held on 7 November 2017 in Budva, Montenegro. The event was co-organised ... read more
Zagreb – The role of education and civil society in prevention of violent extremism was a topic of the regional workshop, organised by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), in Zagreb today. read more
SKOPJE/SARAJEVO – The third regular meeting of the South East Europe (SEE) National Focal Points (NFP) for countering radicalization and violent extremism (CVE) and foreign terrorist fighters (FTF), took place Wednesday in Skopje, Regional Cooperation Council stated. read more
Sarajevo – The website on prevention and countering of violent extremism (P-CVE) in South East Europe (SEE) is operational as of today. The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) launched the website providing relevant information on P-CVE in SEE, documents related to the regional initiatives, glossary ... read more
In response to the mandate entrusted bySEECP MFAs, the RCC has established the SEE Regional Platform for CounteringRadicalization and Violent Extremism leading to Terrorism and Foreign TerroristFighters. read more
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Development of specialized PCVE web site is funded by EU FUNDS CN 2017-386/831 - "IPA II 2016 Regional Action on P/CVE in the Western Balkans"