European Security And The Terrorist Threat: Evolutions And Current Ways Of Managing It

The European Security Strategy “A Secure Europe in a Better World” emphasizes on the fact that security is a precondition of development and nominates terrorism as the first key threat in the list of five major threats addressed to European security. In the “EU Internal Security Strategy in Action” the terrorism is seen as second threat (after serious and organized crime) and is pointed out as a phenomenon which requires concerted European action, due to a still existent vulnerability of our societies to terrorist attacks, “Europe being both a target and a base for such terrorism”.

The paper presents the evolution of the European security environment between 1990 and 2015, emphasizing the increase of the terrorist threat and the steps and actions taken in preventing and fighting against it, as well as possible solutions for managing the terrorist phenomenon. In the final part of the paper, the findings of a case study achieved through sociological questionnaire are rendered. The study envisaged to catch the counter-terrorism perspective at the level of ordinary citizens and of decision-makers and stakeholders as well.