EYP Talk - Your voice on Europe's future. This is the online forum of the European Youth Parliament in the UK.

A secure society

A secure society? Which is the greater danger to European society, the threat of terrorism or the loss of freedom?

The panellist in this discussion is:

Nickolay Mladenov
founder, European Institute, Bulgaria

Nickolay E. Mladenov is a former Member of the Bulgarian Parliament (2001-2005) for Varna and represented Bulgaria’s National Assembly on the EU Constitutional Convention. Currently he is consulting in the Middle East on a number of democracy building projects.

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A right to security?

Posted by Ian Millar moderator on 05/02/2007 - 21:21

Whilst Nickolay is right in saying that terrorism is nothing new for Europe, there does seem to be something palpably new in post-9/11 terrorism for the western world. Al Qaeda is fundamentally different from European groups such as the IRA or ETA. Indeed, it is often said that it is more of an ideology than it is a coherent group. The attacks are also different, involving a far greater death toll than anything attempted by the groups we are used to. We are given no warnings and no opportunity to resolve the conflict.

Whilst it is laudible that we should seek to solve the root causes of terrorism in the Middle East and beyond, there remains the more immediate problem of preventing terrorist attacks from happening now. Though we should jealously guard our rights and freedoms, I don't think it is enough to argue that "if we give up our freedom then the terrorists have won." Security does, and has always, preceded freedom. The right to life is the root of all rights, but is itself meaningless if there is not sufficient security to provide some form of a guarantee for it. Nickolay, I think, is also correct to say that security and freedom are not mutually exclusive, and as such I think it is only right that in the current climate we debate how best to secure our freedoms and our right to life.

A secure society

Posted by Nickolay Mladenov on 29/01/2007 - 13:20

Europe should not have to make the choice between freedom and security. Europe today has the historic opportunity to show that you can address the root causes of radicalism and terrorism without limiting freedoms that are at the core of European civilization.

Terrorism is not news to Europe. Most countries in the EU have had to face it in the past and will likely continue to face such threats in the future. The realization however how many and different the causes of such threats can be is perhaps a novelty. Just like the recognition that many of these threats come from within our societies that they breed on social injustice, isolation and radicalism. Not just at home, but in Europe's neighborhood - the Middle East.