In order to combat radicalisation, issues of social exclusion, migrant integration and discrimination must therefore be taken into account.

“While monitoring of individuals suspected of criminal activity is a legitimate preventive instrument, surveillance of entire groups or profiling based solely on ethnicity or religion is not,” said FRA Director Morten Kjaerum at the debate, which took place on 27 January in Brussels. “Any measures that aim to detect radicalised individuals become counterproductive if they are seen to be targeting an entire community, as they further alienate them and undermine their trust in the authorities.”

FRA’s first survey of ethnic minorities in the EU, which is now being repeated to measure trends over time, showed that 40% of Muslim respondents who had been stopped by the police over the previous year believed their ethnic background to be behind the decision to stop them. At the same time, the majority of Muslim victims of crime do not go to the police. A lack of trust in the police means that information is going unreported that could help to fight crime and ultimately also help in the identification of potential security threats.

According to new data collected by FRA in the wake of the attacks in Paris earlier this month, fear among both Muslim and Jewish communities has risen greatly in many places across the EU, undermining their quality of life. At the same time, community and religious leaders have been united in their condemnation of the attacks, presenting policy makers with an opportunity to prevent radicalisation by building stronger bonds between different communities.

A consideration of fundamental rights factors are also crucial in the case of the proposed European passenger name record (PNR) system. Clear and strict limitations on purpose, enhanced personal data safeguards or increased transparency of the system towards passengers need to be among the minimum requirements when considering such a scheme.

Also taking part in the debate were Matthias Ruete, Director General of DG Home Affairs at the European Commission; Gilles de Kerchove, EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator; Omar Ramadan, Head of the Radicalisation Awareness Network Secretariat; and Giovanni Buttarelli, European Data Protection Supervisor.