The fight against terrorism remains priority for France, Europe and the whole world. This article  provides an overview of counter-terrorism efforts at the national, European, and global on this fight, based on official sources dating from February and March 2025

The fight against terrorism in France

In February 2025, Franceexperienced terrorist-related incidents . On 22 February, a knife attack took place in Mulhouse, resulting in one fatality and several injured. The assailant was known to the intelligence services for his Islamist radicalisation and was subject to an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF). Despite this measure, he was still present on French soil at the time of the attack.

This event underscores the complexities of managing radicalised individuals within national borders The French authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening surveillance and prevention measures to avoid such tragedies in the future.

The fight against terrorism at European level

The European Union (EU) continues to enhance its counter-terrorism cooperation . The Atlas network, which brings together the special police forces of 27 Member States, is an example of this collaboration. The network aims to improve cooperation between police units and to strengthen their skills through joint training. Specialised teams are dedicated to different types of interventions, such as attacks in buildings, subways, planes, trains and buses, as well as maritime actions.

In March 2024, Bartjan Wegter was appointed EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, with the task of strengthening cooperation between Member States and ensuring a coherent response to terrorist threats.

The fight against terrorism from a global perspective

At the global level, the fight against terrorism requires increased international cooperation. France plays an active role in this area, in particular by strengthening the capacities of its partners to combat terrorism. Training programmes are being implemented for France’s partners, including the training of criminal investigation police officers, magistrates and services working in the field of counter-terrorism.

France is also engaged in efforts to combat terrorist financing. . In April 2018, it organised an international conference entitled ‘No Money for Terror’, bringing together 70 states and officials from nearly 20 international organisations. This initiative aimed to identify and dry up all sources of terrorist financing by strengthening legal frameworks and information cooperation.

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