The EUTEx project will create a European framework built on existing knowledge, skills and products concerning disengagement and reintegration of radicalised and extremist offenders.
The EUTEx project focuses on right-wing and Islamist extremism, including returning foreign terrorist fighters and their families. The initiave will collect existing promising practices, test and adapt them to be both relevant to the local context and transferable at the European level, and will involve relevant stakeholders and expertise in a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary approach.
Hence the framework to develop in the scope of the project will promote collaboration among stakeholders in the Criminal Justice field, such as exit workers, police officers, social workers, along with prison and probation psychologists. By adequately capacitating these professionals, EUTEx strives to summon the best expertise in relevant fields.
Moreover, the initiative aims to provide innovative training in the field of radicalisation; to create a pioneering risk assessment tool; and disseminate best practices to be implemented by the justice system’s practitioners.
Reintegrating foreign fighters is critical to preventing terrorism
Preventing terror attacks also depends on the successful disengagement and reintegration of terrorists and extremist offenders, including foreign fighters and their families, as recent events have shown. This can only be achieved through a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary framework with evidence-based, effective practices, cooperation among stakeholders, a solid risk assessment and continuity of care, from the outset.
In addition, best practices to be collected and evaluated will take into account specific approaches for
women, children and communities. Collaboration among stakeholders, transition management and the gender dimension are transversal priorities.
Enhancing preparedness and security across Europe
By developing and optimising the professionalism and collaboration of the stakeholders involved in disengagement and reintegration programmes across Europe, EUTEx contributes to ensuring a long-term increase in security in Europe.
The European framework for disengagement and reintegration foreseen in the scope of this project is expected to have a specific impact: if terrorist and extremist offenders reintegrate successfully into society they will refrain from engaging in violence. Hence, EUTEx is to contribute to the decrease in terrorist and extremist violence and to a more secure Europe.
EUTEx project partners
The EUTEx project, which is carried out by a 14-partner consortium, is led by the Austrian Institute for International Affairs and also counts with four more Austrian-based partners, namely the Directorate General for Prisons and the Execution of Freedom Extracting Measures, the Josefstadt Vienna Prison, Neustart, and Scenor.
The consortium of partners also has IPS_Innovative Prison Systems (Portugal), the Elcano Royal Institute (Spain), the Centre for the Study of Radicalisations and their Treatments (CERT) (France), the Bremen Senate of Justice and Constitution (Germany), the Kosovar Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Kosovo), Transform (Sweden), European Strategies Consulting (Romania), the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (Albania), and Partners Kosova Center for Conflict Management (Kosovo).
Funded by the European Commission’s Internal Security Fund – Police, the EUTEx project will run until the first half of 2023.
For further information about the EUTEx project please go to this page.