Recently, PARTESS-COM, a project co-funded by the European Commission with a consortium of 15 European entities, including the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies, was launched. The project, led by the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, will run for two years and its main objective is to improve the security of religious communities (including places of worship and assembly) and educational institutions by compiling a knowledge platform with complex, adaptive and inclusive security concepts, based on state-of-the-art practices.
The project contributes directly to mitigating populism, extremism and terrorism by compiling good practices in preventive, protective and reactive security, and training community representatives and security forces in their practical application. In addition, it will play a role in disseminating the knowledge gained to the general public through a European campaign supported by multiple smaller campaigns on social media, adopting an approach that engages the whole of society.
The role of the Euro-Arab Foundation
Religious communities and their places of worship specifically enjoy an even higher strategic priority given their centrality in many socio-political conflicts, which justifies the creation of the EU strategy to combat anti-Semitism and promote Jewish life in 2021, and the position of ‘Coordinator for Combating Anti-Muslim Hatred’ in 2015. The project also responds to the Commission’s recent call for action ‘No place for hate: a Europe united against hate’, helping to defend European values and social peace through interfaith cooperation.
The Euro-Arab will lead work package 2 of the project, which consists of identifying, systematising and assessing effective security concepts, tools, programmes and solutions for the protection of places of worship, religious educational institutions and communities. The aim is to provide stakeholders with effective access to knowledge and sources, empower them and actively involve them.
The Euro-Arab Foundation previously participated in the PARTES project, the prelude to the present PARTESS-COM project, and will therefore transfer the experience and knowledge acquired during its development. This previous participation will allow it to bring an informed and strategic vision to the new project, facilitating the identification of good practices and overcoming possible challenges. His experience in the field of child protection and child protection in the EU will be a valuable asset for the project.
