The present chapter examines the tools that can be employed by the European Union and its Member States to collect and, above all, share intelligence on foreign fighters. It starts by framing the phenomenon as a security threat for the EU and its Member States, and by presenting the role that the European Intelligence Community can play in facing this threat. It then discusses briefly the instruments EU Member State intelligence services and law enforcement agencies can employ to produce actionable knowledge concerning returning nationals or residents at the domestic level, and the possibilities for bilateral or multilateral cooperation with similar agencies and services in other Member States. The chapter continues by examining EU instruments establishing and organising Member State cooperation in intelligence gathering and sharing, as well as the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies that play a significant role and/or have ad hoc responsibilities in this area. The chapter concludes by examining the general limitations of these tools, as well as the opportunities they present, for achieving the goal of producing enhanced intelligence on foreign fighters. To a lesser extent, it addresses the privacy and data protection implications these tools entail.
Collecting and Sharing Intelligence on Foreign Fighters in the EU and its Member States: Existing Tools, Limitations and Opportunities
BONFANTI, MATTEO EMILIO
2016-01-01
Abstract
The present chapter examines the tools that can be employed by the European Union and its Member States to collect and, above all, share intelligence on foreign fighters. It starts by framing the phenomenon as a security threat for the EU and its Member States, and by presenting the role that the European Intelligence Community can play in facing this threat. It then discusses briefly the instruments EU Member State intelligence services and law enforcement agencies can employ to produce actionable knowledge concerning returning nationals or residents at the domestic level, and the possibilities for bilateral or multilateral cooperation with similar agencies and services in other Member States. The chapter continues by examining EU instruments establishing and organising Member State cooperation in intelligence gathering and sharing, as well as the EU Institutions, bodies and agencies that play a significant role and/or have ad hoc responsibilities in this area. The chapter concludes by examining the general limitations of these tools, as well as the opportunities they present, for achieving the goal of producing enhanced intelligence on foreign fighters. To a lesser extent, it addresses the privacy and data protection implications these tools entail.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
