EU Initiatives to Prevent the Terror Threat in the Mediterranean

Keywords: Maritime Terrorism, Mediterranean Sea, European Union, Maritime Security, Asymmetrical Maritime Threats

Abstract

The most deadly of the threats to maritime security is terrorism at sea. Despite the fact that the number of attacks is less than on land, the possibility of a terrorist attack taking place in maritime areas should always be considered, given the few serious attacks that have occurred. Otherwise, these attacks will produce dire consequences that cannot be compensated. Today, one of the seas with the highest probability of a terrorist attack at sea is the Mediterranean. In the recent past, especially the civil wars in Syria and Libya, the political turmoil in the Arab countries and the emergence of radical terrorist groups such as DAESH, the crisis and instability have significantly increased the possible terrorist threat in the Mediterranean Basin. In this context, the EU, as a regional security actor, has taken some measures to strengthen maritime security and prevent the possible terrorist threat in the Mediterranean. In the article, it is aimed to determine the level of the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean region and to analyze the EU's counter-terrorism measures. The analysis is bidirectional. First of all, the actual terrorist attacks reported in the Mediterranean are analyzed in detail in the article. Then, the measures taken by the EU to combat terrorism and sort out the problem are analyzed in detail.

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Published
2022-03-18
How to Cite
Özgür, A., & Özekmekçi, M. İnanç. (2022). EU Initiatives to Prevent the Terror Threat in the Mediterranean. Journal of Applied And Theoretical Social Sciences, 4(1), 39-56. https://doi.org/10.37241/jatss.2022.47