 Hi there, in this video we talk about security and terrorism. In recent years, many terrorist attacks were perpetrated in the name of Islam, while attacks by extreme right terrorists are shaking Europe, such as the attack by Anders Braavik in Norway in 2011, the assassination of Britain's Joe Cox in 2016, or the killings by the National Socialist Underground Group in Germany. The goal of all terrorism is to undermine the shared values of democratic societies and to trigger fear by targeting innocent civilians. Because terrorism is by essence an international phenomenon, our power as individuals is rather limited. We can only counter it by asking our decision makers to step up and find rational and efficient approaches in the fight against terrorism through cross-border collaboration. But while we strongly condemn these violent acts and unite in our fight against them, we have to be careful to not fall for the rhetoric of fear and false promises of 100% security sometimes made by our politicians. The key question remains, how can we fight terrorism and be guaranteed as much as possible security without compromising on our fundamental rights? Let's have a look at some key questions currently being raised in the EU. Do we need to close the borders? We all benefit from open borders within the EU, where we enjoy the right to free movement of goods, services, capital and people. Open borders do make it easier for criminals of all kinds to operate trans-nationally. However, despite claims by right-wing populist politicians who want to make us believe otherwise, open borders were not what made recent terrorist attacks possible. It's rather the lack of information exchange between the different law enforcement authorities that makes it easy to lose track of what's going on. So here's an idea. Instead of relying on outdated concepts of national security, why not give the EU a bigger role and enable intensive information exchange between our country's law enforcement bodies and a common strategy to fight terrorism? Should we put in place more surveillance? Some politicians call for increased data collection, upgrading decryption capacities and a reinforced EU external border. Those proposing such measures refuse to acknowledge that there is an inherent danger of cyber technologies being abused. So instead of collecting more and more data on whole populations or all air passengers without any sufficient grounds, we should opt for a system with targeted surveillance and enhanced human capacities to follow up on serious suspicions. This can increase our security without limiting our fundamental rights. How can we prevent radicalisation? Unfortunately, terrorist organisations mostly recruit amongst groups that have been economically and socially abandoned or disadvantaged. We need to demand our politicians to invest in schools and basic public services and infrastructures. Education, knowledge and exchange about history, different civilisations, cultures, ideologies and religions is a powerful tool against all extreme misviolence and violent radicalisation processes. But what about those who are already on their way to being radicalised? Because they have already been left behind by society, many actual and potential terrorists show a recurring pattern of delinquency and prison time in their path towards political or terrorist violence. Their hardship in prison might have actually fuelled their radicalisation and brought them in touch with radical groups. Serving prisons with good conditions and well-trained staff would help actual rehabilitation and reformation. Our political leaders also need to find ways to break the links between terrorism and crime to cut their access to weaponry on the black market and financial means to perpetrate their attacks. Who's to blame for terrorism? Some politicians also tend to conflate migrations and exclusively radical Islam with the terrorist threat. They try to play with our fears and emotions but mass surveillance and generalised suspicion are ineffective and threaten the defining features of our open society. Unfortunately our leaders on the national and EU level are often times taking a strongly repressive perspective in the fight against terrorism. It's therefore up to us as citizens to not buy into the belief that more technologies can prevent all terrorist attacks, to not put entire communities under general suspicion and to not simply accept extreme measures in exchange for a feeling of enhanced security. Instead we must take a stand for an open and democratic EU.