The Fight against Terrorism in Europe: Competences and Measures of the EU, Member States and Cities with Focus on Belgium and Brussels

The thesis focuses on the jihadi terrorism in Europe and the ability of the European states to counter it. The objective was to evaluate the current situation in the European Union and to determine the counterterrorism activities of the EU, its member states and local governments. The example of Belgium and Brussels was taken as the case study since many European institutions are located there and since the city became the target of the terrorists in the past. There is also an issue with the radicalization of the Muslim minority present mainly in the city of Brussels. The research question was: “What counterterrorism measures and steps do the EU, Belgium and Brussels take?”The theoretical chapter is divided into two sections. The first one is dedicated to the definition of terrorism and the second one to the distribution of competences among the EU. The empirical chapter studies the measures and steps taken on the supranational, national and local level demonstrated on the cases of the EU, Belgium and Brussels. The study concluded that the states remain the key actors of the counterterrorism. They hold the sovereignty over the decision-making in the area of the national security. The EU is therefore compelled to focus on enhancing the cooperation among them and lacks an executive power. The EU, Belgium and Brussels all develop their own measures to fight the terrorism according to their capabilities. However, the problem of the lack of a coordination among them endures.