UK-EU Post-brexit Cooperation in Counter Terrorism

Abstract

The withdrawal of the United Kingdom (‘UK’) from the European Union (‘EU’) has had serious implications across the board, not only in terms of trade and business but also in many other fields, including justice and home affairs. Within that latter field, counter-terrorism policy is a key element and the implications for the continuing cooperation between the UK and the EU after Brexit were singularly grave. In view of the importance attached to this cooperation in counter terrorism, both sides saw it as in their best interests to try and mitigate the impact of withdrawal on security matters. Without being able to replicate the situation pre-Brexit, the two sides have nevertheless attempted to forge as close a relationship as far as possible within existing legal parameters. This work will look at how the parties have dealt with the identification and tracking of inter-state movement of terrorists; the cooperation with EU agencies; and the extradition of terrorists to the UK. It will further add some ideas on how to progress the implementation and enforcement of counter-terrorism policy between the two parties.