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On 2 February 2024, the inaugural UK-EU Counter-Terrorism (CT) Dialogue, as established by the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), took place in Brussels. This Dialogue was a welcome opportunity for the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) to discuss a wide range of counter-terrorism issues, including assessments on the terrorist threat, and strategic approaches for prevention and response in order to protect our citizens.

The UK and EU shared best practice and expertise on counter-terrorism, including responses to terrorist content online and financing of terrorism. They also spoke about cooperation, including with other third countries and in multilateral fora and agreed to continue these important exchanges.

The UK delegation was chaired by Jonathan Emmett, Director of Counter-Terrorism & Homeland Security Strategy in the Home Office, who was accompanied by officials from the Home Office, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and a police representative from the UK’s Liaison Bureau at Europol. On the EU side, which included an observer from the Belgian Presidency on behalf of EU Member States, the Dialogue was chaired by Nadia Costantini, Special Envoy for Counter-Terrorism, of the European External Action Service (EEAS). Representatives from the European Commission, including Deputy Director-General from the Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs, Olivier Onidi, and the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator’s office also joined.

The UK welcomed the rich and constructive discussion with its EU counterparts. The next CT Dialogue will be held in London.