POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM: STATE, OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS

Abstract

In the 21st century, terrorism has become a global problem and one of the main factor in world politics at all levels. Cyclical economic and financial crises have a detrimental effect on the state of the social sphere in all countries without exception, thereby creating fertile ground for radical sentiments and terrorist intentions. The growth of geopolitical tension in the world over the past decades has also contributed to the expansion of the activity of terrorist groups around the globe. This article through SWOT analysis attempts to study the state of the EU's fight against terrorism. The threat of terrorism and its most severe manifestations also affected the countries of the European Union, which prompted it to develop a specific policy in the fight against terrorism and improve methods for preventing and neutralizing the terrorist threat. When analyzing the development process of anti-terrorist structures and the practice of combating terrorism in the European Union in 2001-2020, one can distinguish undoubted achievements of the anti-terrorist course. The weaknesses and objective shortcomings of this course stem from the complexities in world politics and macroeconomics, as well as from the very nature of the EU as a supranational structure.