Defence and security Archives

Lawmakers were introducing legislation this week tightening the program that allows millions to travel to the United States without a visa, as Congress moves to enhance security following the deadly Paris attacks.

The European Commission adopted on Wednesday (2 December) a package of measures to combat terrorism and arms trafficking, including criminalising travel "for terrorist purposes".

France and Belgium want to improve intelligence sharing between the nine European nations most concerned with jihadist threats in the wake of the Paris attacks, a French government source said Monday evening (30 November).

On Wednesday (2 December) the Balkan state of Montenegro will be formally invited to join the NATO military alliance, diplomatic sources said, a move which could further strain already difficult ties with Moscow.

Arrests have been made in Berlin in relation to a planned attack, and the weapons used in the Paris attacks are thought to have been bought in Germany. EURACTIV Germany reports.

No broad coalition to fight Islamic State has emerged after talks between Russian President Putin and his French counterpart, François Hollande. But the two agreed to step up their cooperation as the basis for a possible alliance.

Russia sent an advanced missile system to Syria yesterday (25 November) to protect its jets operating there and pledged its air force would keep flying missions near Turkish air space, sounding a defiant note after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet.

The US Justice Department has provided specific suggestions to governments in Europe and elsewhere on how to strengthen counterterrorism laws in order to arrest would-be foreign fighters before they join groups like Islamic State, according to a policy paper reviewed by Reuters.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday (25 November) Europe's single currency will be at risk if the Schengen passport-free travel zone unravels due to member states reimposing border controls to keep refugees out.

During a visit to the US yesterday (24 November), French President François Hollande abandoned plans to include Russia in an international coalition against Islamic State, following the Paris attacks, in which 130 people lost their lives.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet today (24 November) a stab in the back administered by "the accomplices of terrorists," saying the incident would have serious consequences.

Belgium maintained the highest security alert for Brussels on Monday with the metro system and schools to re-open only on Wednesday after authorities said there was an imminent threat of a Paris-style attack in the Belgian capital. 

The European Council decided to cancel the majority of non-essential meetings scheduled to take place today (23 November) and the European Commission encouraged its staff to work from home, in what appears to be a capitulation to a terror threat, which has transformed Brussels into a ghost city.

Belgium said it faced a serious and imminent threat of a Paris-style attack, and kept Brussels on maximum alert on Monday as security forces searched for militants thought to be at large in the capital.

Brussels shut its metro system as a terror alert was raised to its highest level Saturday, with a gunman still on the run after the Paris attacks which have sent jitters through Europe.

As EU interior ministers meet today (20 November) in Brussels to decide on new measures to improve security following the Paris attacks, US officials said that at least four of the terrorists involved were known to them.

Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, former President of Mauritania, told a Brussels audience that the first prerequisites for the development of Africa are the fight against terrorism and corruption.

Riots erupted in Kosovo yesterday (18 November) in a deepening crisis over relations with former ruler Serbia, with protesters setting fire to garbage containers and government vehicles in the capital Pristina.

With signs growing of a thaw between Moscow and Western capitals after the Paris attacks, some of Russia's neighbours fear that European resolve to keep up economic sanctions and military pressure over the Ukraine crisis may be waning.

US Senator Rand Paul, a candidate in the Republican presidential primaries, called for a halt yesterday (18 November) to the visa waiver program for travellers from countries including France in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has team up with French President François Hollande in seeking a 'rapprochement' with Russia to fight Islamic State, described by both as the biggest threat to the EU.

France and Russia bombed Islamic State targets in Syria yesterday (17 November), punishing the group for attacks in Paris and against a Russian airliner that together killed 353 people, and made the first tentative steps toward a possible military alliance.

Frustration is mounting in France against the inaction of other European countries in the wake of the terrorist attacks. Paris wants the EU to suspend Schengen for three months. EURACTIV France reports. 

Islamists killed more than 120 people in multiple Paris attacks Friday evening (13 November). French President François Hollande called the attacks "an act of war" organised from abroad by the Islamic State with internal help. EURACTIV brings you the latest updates.