Towards a secure economic growth : development of a common European Union counter-terrorism policy

Abstract

PURPOSE: The main objective of this paper is to examine the process of forming political and legal tools for counteracting and combating terrorism which has a significant impact on economic growth in the European Union.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A mixed research method was used during the research work. To minimize the occurrence of irrelevant results and repetitions, during the systematic review of academic sources the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalysis (PRISMA) method was used. In the case of European Union source documents, the EurLex legal acts database was explored, considering strictly defined criteria. The selected collection of literature and EU source documents was analysed using the Qualitative content analysis method.

FINDINGS: EU countries, despite the conflict of interest that often separates them, were able to jointly develop and implement a substantial package of regulations of a political and legal nature, which evolved from ad hoc activities to preventive measures. The areas that currently require special attention include cybersecurity, counteracting the sources of terrorism (radicalization of attitudes), combating social exclusion, proper physical protection of critical infrastructure and public spaces, as well as tightening international cooperation to cut off all sources of financing terrorism.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The study results seem to be particularly important in the context of developing an optimum and effective tool for the long-term European Union policy in the field of counteracting and combating terrorism phenomenon, which is one of the key factors ensuring the maintenance of a sustainable level of economic growth.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study was conducted after the outbreak of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, which significantly remodelled the economy and safety environment in European Union countries. The article contains a critical analysis of undertakings performed at the EU forum to counteract and combat the phenomenon of terrorism. The research considers the latest EU legal regulations - the legal status of May 2021.