CONTEMPORARY TERRORISM IN THE EUROPEAN UNION – THE HYDRA SYNDROME

Abstract

Terrorism can be compared to a dangerous hydra with many different heads. They symbolize the various types of terrorism, such as Islamic, separatist, far right, far left, and so on. The diversification of the terrorist threat can be easily seen in the European Union as exemplified, for instance, in the latest report by Europol TE-SAT, European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2017, and the analysis of events in 2016 and 2017. The main purpose of this text is to answer the following questions, among others: what is the current scale of the terrorist threat in the European Union? What are the characteristics of modern terrorism in the EU? What is its specific nature and how is it evolving? What are its main ideological reasons and types? What is the scope and nature of Islamic terrorism in the European Union? What influence does immigration/refugeeism have on the level of terrorism? How are we to evaluate the current anti terrorist policy of the EU? What level of terrorist threat seems to be likely in the European Union in the months to come? These issues are discussed in this paper in the ten sections below. The conclusions presented there frequently defy stereotypical opinions and views on terrorism in the EU.