NCJ Number
78825
Date Published
1981
Length
31 pages
Annotation
The European Economic Community's (EEC's) progress in securing united action against terrorists by its members is described, following a brief scrutiny of the development and content of the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, which has earned the EEC's broad but qualified approval.
Abstract
The ministerial initiative for European-based action against terrorism was taken by the Conference of European Ministers at its 24th plenary session, the same month the European Committee on Crime Problems suggested to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe that a committee of governmental experts be established to scrutinize problems raised by new forms of concerted acts of violence. The Council of Europe's Directorate of Legal Affairs provided the secretariat for the committee which prepared a European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism. The overall intended effect of the Convention is to remove the 'political offense' label from certain defined terrorist acts, such that these acts can no longer be deemed political to justify not prosecuting the perpetrators. The member Governments of the EEC eventually agreed with the Convention that terrorist offenses are crimes rather than political offenses and should be subject to prosecution. Toward this end, they focused on securing acceptance of the principle of 'extradite or try.' Progress to this level of agreement has been difficult and problematic, and the adoption of further measures is likely to become even more difficult with the accession of Greece, Spain, and Portugal to the EEC. Also, Italy, Denmark, and France have already stated their intention to make use of their right to maintain reservations regarding 'political offenses.' How effective the agreement among the EEC member States will be in combating terrorism remains to be seen. A total of 102 notes and references are listed.