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Finally, cybercrime is an ever-growing threat to citizens' fundamental rights and
to the economy, as well, as to the development of a successful Digital Single
Market.29 As commerce and banking shift online, cybercrime can represent a
huge potential gain to criminals and a huge potential loss to citizens.
Cybercriminals can act from outside the Union to harm critical infrastructures and
simultaneously target a large number of victims across Member States, with
minimum effort and risk. Similarly, threats such as those posed by cyberterrorism and hybrid threats could increase in the years to come. Criminals abuse
anonymisation techniques and anonymous payment mechanisms for illicit online
trade in drugs or weapons, for criminal transactions and money laundering.
Cybercrime is also closely linked to child sexual exploitation, with a growing and
alarming trend of child abuse through live streaming.
Terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime are the three core priorities which are
highlighted in this Agenda for immediate action. They are clearly interlinked and crossborder threats, and their multi-faceted and international dimension shows the need for
an effective and coordinated response at EU level.
3.1 Tackling terrorism and preventing radicalisation
Citizens and Member States expect the EU's support in fighting terrorism and
radicalisation and facilitating coordination and cooperation between relevant authorities.
Europol has developed a growing expertise on terrorism issues and this should be taken
a step further by bringing together its anti-terrorism law enforcement capabilities,
pooling resources and maximising the use of already existing structures, services and
tools available to the Agency with a view to achieving economies of scale. This could be
brought together as a European Counter-Terrorism Centre within Europol to step up
the support provided at EU level for Member States, within a secure environment with
the highest confidentiality in its communication.
The Centre would include (1) Europol’s Focal Point Travellers on foreign terrorist
fighters and related terrorist networks, (2) the EU-US Terrorist Financing Tracking
Programme (TFTP), (3) FIU.NET, the decentralised computer network supporting
Financial Intelligence Units, which will be embedded in Europol in 2016, and (4)
Europol’s existing capabilities on firearms and explosive devices. Eurojust should be
fully involved in the activities of the Centre to improve coordination of investigations
and prosecutions. Such a Centre would operate strictly within the legal mandate of
Europol, and would not affect Member States' sole responsibility for safeguarding
national security, nor the role of the EU Intelligence Analysis Centre (INTCEN) in the
area of intelligence-based assessment of the terrorist threat.
The Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), to be established in Europol by July 2015, would
also be part of the Centre. The Unit will build upon Europol and Member States’
experience to act as an EU centre of expertise, helping Member States to identify and
remove violent extremist content online, in cooperation with industry partners.
Furthermore, the Commission will launch in 2015 an EU-level Forum with IT
companies to bring them together with law enforcement authorities and civil society.
Building upon the preparatory meetings organised in 2014, the Forum will focus on
deploying the best tools to counter terrorist propaganda on the internet and in social
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Internet users in the EU remain very concerned about cybercrime. 85% agree that the risk of becoming a victim of
cybercrime is increasing (Eurobarometer on cyber-security published in February 2015).
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