In the past years, terrorism has remained a significant threat to security in the European Union. The European Commission is dedicated to ensuring that victims of terrorism can completely rely on their rights independently of where in the EU a terrorist attack takes place. The EU assumed a solid set of rules on victims’ rights including special provisions on rights of victims of terrorism that encounter more directly their specific needs. This is why learning to negotiate with victims of terrorism is important even before any attack takes place.
The European Commission formed the EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism (the EU Centre) as a two-year pilot scheme in January 2020 to offer expertise, guidance and backing to national authorities and victim help organisations. The EU Centre helps to ensure that the EU regulations on victims of terrorism are correctly applied. It facilitates the exchange of best practices and the sharing of expertise among practitioners and specialists across borders. It does not deliver direct help and assistance to certain victims of terrorism, but it helps to ensure that national structures deliver professional assistance and help to victims of terrorism in every EU country.
The EU Centre was set up and operated by the European Commission with the support of a consortium of victim support institutions led by Victim Support Europe. The consortium carried out the duties of the EU Centre on behalf of the Commission and acted in cooperation with the Association française des Victimes du Terrorisme, the Fondation Lenval and the ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre. It should be also mentioned that the European Network on Victims’ Rights – a platform of national professionals dealing with victims’ rights in the national administration of EU Member States – had a crucial role when it comes to driving and supporting the activities of the EU Centre.
On 18 January 2021, the Commission issued the EU Handbook on Victims of Terrorism produced by the EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism (see EU Handbook under Documents). The EU Handbook aims to help national authorities and victim support organisations in the practical enactment of the EU legislation, based on lessons discovered from responses to previous terrorist attacks.
The EU Centre of Expertise for Victims of Terrorism has also delivered 26 National Handbooks which complement the EU Handbook. National Handbooks embroider on the rights of victims of terrorism in each Member State (see National Handbooks under Documents). National authorities and victim backing organisations in the EU Member States were delivered online training on legal and practical elements of how to ensure support and protection for victims of terrorism.
The EU Centre offers a forum for national authorities and victim sponsorship organisations in the Member States to exchange knowledge and experience on the rights of victims of terrorism. In particular, those who have already supported victims of terrorism can share their knowledge with their colleagues in the EU countries not directly impacted by terrorist attacks. The Hub also promotes an enhanced flow of information across borders and contributes to the outcome of effective response structures for victims of terrorism, in general, and cross-border terrorism victims in certain. The EU Centre has set up a database with data on experts in different fields like:
