The Euro-Arab Foundation participated in the first in-person consortium meeting and transnational event of the SHIELDed project, which took place in Berlin from May 11 to 13.
After completing its first year of development, the SHIELDed project has reached strategic milestones that were analyzed during the two days of work. Among the most notable achievements is the launch of eight Local Councils for the Protection of Places of Worship distributed across Europe, a key initiative for the local implementation of security measures. Within this framework, Euro-Arab Foundation researcher Rascha Albaba presented the progress of the work package led by the Foundation: the development of current threat and risk assessments in places of worship. The session generated an intense debate on the methodologies and actions needed to ensure that these tools are truly effective for protecting community and religious spaces.
A Multi-Agency Approach for Holistic Security
The SHIELDed transnational event took place on May 13, bringing together various relevant stakeholders interested in protecting these spaces, including representatives from a wide plurality of faiths across the continent, researchers, law enforcement agencies, and public administration representatives. This multi-agency approach aims to foster a cross-cutting social commitment to achieve a holistic vision of security. During the event, Foundation researcher Javier Montilla delivered a presentation on current extremist threats affecting places of worship in Europe, analyzing the global risk context.
With the conclusion of these sessions in Berlin, the SHIELDed consortium reaffirms its commitment to continue implementing effective measures that guarantee coexistence and security in places of worship, firmly backing dialogue as a tool against exclusion.
