Abstract

The advent of global terrorism has triggered a conceptual and structural evolution in the way the EU and its Member States have approached the fight against terrorism. In the context of EU relations with MENA countries in the field of counter-terrorism, this has led to a wide range of initiatives and reforms. Cooperation, however, had to satisfy the double requirement of being tailored to the partner country’s necessities, while also meeting the EU’s need to operate within its guiding principles and political boundaries. This chapter will examine the evolution of the EU’s counter-terrorism strategy after 9/11, highlighting the key challenges faced throughout the process. It will then analyse the EU’s initiatives and role in two major counter-terrorism theatres of operations: Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as in the context of the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its ramifications for counter-terrorism.