The EU is planning to take steps to tackle terrorist use of the internet to gain support and publicity.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos says the EU intends to "enhance existing cooperation with the Internet industry and to strengthen the commitment of social media platforms to reduce illegal content online."
Discussing the recent attacks in Paris, Avramopouloswarned that terrorism was "a severe and growing threat."
Noting that Europe had a range of instruments to combat terrorism, the Commissioner added, "Now is the time to strengthen them."
He concentrated on four areas;Prevention of radicalization;Information sharing;Identification of travel routes of terrorists and; Firearms.
He pledged that the Commission would support member states efforts to counter radicalisation and extremism. He praised theRadicalization Awareness Network (RAN) and its future Centre of Excellence, which builds networks to exchange best practice and "reinforce the effectiveness of on-going projects and actions."
Noting that the EU had held meetings with Internet Service Providers (ISP) in a forum, Avramopoulos said they would expand on this cooperation "by deepening dialogue with EU institutions, Member States, the internet industry and civil society in order to develop concrete workable solutions."
He said ministers had discussedhow to increase the efficiency of the Schengen Information System (SIS) and how to reinforce cooperation between Europol and other EU agencies and the bodies in charge of evaluating threats.
He added, "We also need to consider how to strengthen Europol's intelligence analysis capabilities on terrorism and radicalisation-related threats, and further improving the flow of information and assessments between Member States and EU agencies."
He said Europe has "to be more proactive in monitoring suspicious movement across borders " and said the Passenger Name Record directive, allowing sharing travelers information was "necessary."
He said, "Schengen Information Systemwill now be able to reinforce the efforts of Member States to invalidate personal identification documents of persons who may join terrorist groups outside the European Union."
On firearms, he said, "the latest terrorist attacks and plots have shown that the use of firearms, and often very heavy firearms, needs more attention."
The Commissioner added that they were reviewing the implementation of existing legislation and would submit a report to the European Council and Parliament.
He vowed to develop a balanced approach between security and openness, "Security is essential for our democratic societies. It is a pre-requisite for our citizens' well-being and a pre-requisite for citizens to enjoy their rights. At the same time, we need to make sure that no community feels excluded from our European society."
http://www.neurope.eu/article/eu-plans-fight-online-terrorist-propaganda