The European Commission has just consolidated one of the most complex projects in the field of prevention of radicalisation, the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation, which was presented this morning at an event in Brussels. The contract, awarded to a consortium of eleven European entities, including the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies (based in Granada), has a duration of four years and is funded to the tune of 60 million euros. The aim of this centre, which takes over from the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), is to create a platform that produces, compiles and disseminates knowledge and effective practices in the field of radicalisation prevention, both for EU member states and for third countries that are involved.
The executive secretary of the Euro-Arab Foundation, Antonio Sánchez Ortega, expressed “great satisfaction” at seeing how “the process we started working on more than ten years ago is now enshrined with a much more holistic vision, capable of anticipating the perpetration of violent actions and making use of new online tools”.
The initiative will be led by the Danish NTU International, and the consortium includes the Euro-Arab Foundation for Higher Studies (Spain), Innovative Prison Systems-IPS (Portugal), the Polish Platform for Homeland Security, the Centre for Security Studies (Greece), the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection, the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, the European Research and Project Office-GmbH (Greece), the Deep Blue Research Centre (Italy), the European Centre for Studies and Initiatives (Italy) and the Romanian National Intelligence Academy Mihai Viteazul.
“This project is based on full respect for diversity and fundamental rights,” says the Euro-Arab Executive Secretary. “From our experience with international cooperation and the ties that unite us with the Arab world, we will work to address the internal security priorities of these third countries in complete synergy and collaboration with European needs, without forgetting the importance of communication and the dissemination of knowledge,” adds Sánchez.