The European Union (EU), in collaboration with the Global Counter-Terrorism Council (GCTC) – a registered non-profit international think tank, and India’s Ministry of External Affairs as a strategic partner, will host a regional conference on August 21-22. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss current and emerging threats in online radicalisation and to find ways to jointly counter the exploitation of online spaces by extremist and terrorist actors.
The two-day event will bring together experts from the EU (including Team Europe: Austria, Italy, Croatia, Estonia, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, France, and Romania), India, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The conference aims to enhance counter-terrorism dialogues and regional partnerships, consistent with the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, which foresees a more profound and more robust engagement with partners who share common goals and face common challenges. Expected outcomes include exploring strategies to address the complex challenges posed by the intersection of technology and terrorism while identifying possible areas of collaboration between the EU, India, and the wider region to counter violent extremism in the digital sphere.
The event is part of an ongoing series of counter-terrorism engagements between the EU and India under the EU project Enhancing Security Cooperation In and With Asia (ESIWA). It covers topics such as combating drone terrorism, cybersecurity, misinformation, and women’s peace and security. The Indian side will gather senior officials and experts from institutions like the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Indian Army, and the Indian Police. Top security practitioners from EU institutions, Member States, and agencies like Frontex and Europol will also participate.
“Terrorism knows no boundaries and has found a new propagation field with online digital activities. Sharing knowledge, experience, and expertise among friends and partners is vital to keep track of and counter online radicalisation while ensuring the right balance between security measures and citizens’ fundamental rights,” H.E. Hervé Delphin, Ambassador of the European Union to India, said.
“As two of the world’s largest democracies and global security actors, we are happy to host this key conference alongside India, with whom we have a strong ongoing counter-terrorism dialogue and cooperation,” she added.
“The EU has been at the forefront of regulating social media companies and internet providers with a strong focus on human rights. We are happy to share our experiences, regulatory frameworks, and enforcement mechanisms. Through collaborating with India and countries in the region, we can enhance our collective capacity to combat transnational terrorist networks, share best practices in intelligence gathering and analysis, and develop effective strategies to counter terrorism and prevent violent extremism,” noted H.E. Delphin.
“India has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and stands ready to engage as a collaborative partner in addressing pressing terrorism challenges, especially given its experiences with cross-border terrorism and extremism. It is important to summon the political will to unhesitatingly combat terrorism, not permit terrorism to be justified or terrorists to be glorified. We must not countenance double standards in countering terrorism,” KD Dewal, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, said.
Further, he stated, “The recently held meeting of India-EU Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism was an opportunity to continue and enhance cooperation on this important element of the EU-India Strategic Partnership. The EU and India strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasised the need for strengthening international cooperation in dealing with counterterrorism challenges. In this context, they agreed that cooperation in multilateral fora such as the UN and Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) remains crucial.”
The European Union’s proactive measures in combating these threats will be discussed, including the EU’s Terrorist Content Online (TCO) Regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the EU platform on illicit content online (PERCI). In February 2022, the EU and India held their first joint workshop on terrorism content online. Since then, the EU-India Counterterrorism Dialogue has prioritised the regulation of Terrorist Content Online. This topic was revisited during the 2024 EU-India Counterterrorism Dialogue, demonstrating the shared commitment of both regions to addressing this evolving threat.
