Fight against Terrorism and CODEXTER
CODEXTER
The Committee of Experts on Terrorism CODEXTER was set up in 2003, replacing an older structure, in order to coordinate the Council of Europe’s fight against terrorism. Every signatory state appoints one or more experts to the committee and has one vote.
Mandated by the Committee of Ministers, the CODEXTER identifies priority elements for intergovernmental legal cooperation; proposes areas for action in the field of terrorism; conducts activities in this area and advises the Committee of Ministers on all questions regarding terrorism.
With this purpose, the CODEXTER
- prepares country profiles on counter-terrorism capacity (these profiles provide information on the legislative and institutional capacity of a state to fight terrorism)
- identifies gaps in international law and action against terrorism, and proposes ways and means to fill them
- promotes the implementation of the Council of Europe conventions applicable to the fight against terrorism
- offers experts a platform for the exchange of views and best practices
Conventions drafted to fight terrorism
In order to fight terrorism comprehensively, the Council of Europe has drawn up several conventions as well as additional protocols, some of them directly linked to terrorism, some of them related to the issue.
Conventions on terrorism:
- European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism (CETS No. 090)
- European Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 196)
- European Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism (CETS No. 198)
Conventions related to terrorism:
- European Convention on Cybercrime (CETS No. 185)
- Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime (CETS No. 141)
- European Convention on the Compensation of Victims of Violent Crimes (CETS No. 116)
- European Convention on the Transfer of Proceedings in Criminal Matters (CETS No. 073)
- European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (CETS No. 030)
- European Convention on Extradition (CETS No. 024)
European Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism
Chief among the conventions drawn up to fight terrorism is the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 196). It entered into force in 2007 and aims to strengthen the member states in their efforts to prevent terrorism by
- establishing as criminal offences certain acts – for example public provocation, recruitment and training of people with the aim of letting them commit terrorist acts – that may lead to the commission of terrorist offences
- reinforcing cooperation on prevention on a national as well as an international level
In addition, the convention contains a provision on the protection and compensation of victims of terrorism.
Monitoring
In 2010, the CODEXTER set up the Group of Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism which serves as a monitoring mechanism to the convention. Following its rules of procedure, adopted in 2012, the Group of Parties will, in a first step, evaluate the implementation of the convention through “self-assessment” contributions, submitted by each member state on a regular basis. A second step in the future will include regular thematic evaluation rounds, based on a comprehensive template.
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