site.btaGovernment Puts up for Public Debate Strategy for Countering Terrorism

Government Puts up for Public Debate Strategy for Countering Terrorism

Sofia, August 11 (BTA) - The government has put up for public debate the draft of its strategy for countering radicalization and terrorism until 2025. The bill has been published on the portal for public consultation, Bulgarian National Radio reported Wednesday. The document analyzes the geostrategic environment and internal security climate, identifies the challenges, risks and threats from the worsening radicalization and the increased terrorist activity, and outlines key instruments for dealing with these.

The strategy has been prepared by an interagency working group established on instructions from the Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in charge of coalition policy and the state administration, Roumyana Buchvarova.

The strategy has a time horizon until 2025 with a review and updating due in 2020.

The document says that Bulgaria, like many other European countries, is slow in countering the new terror threats. It names the Islamic State and Al Qaeda as organizations which present tangible and immediate threats for Bulgaria.

Among the tangible security risks as seen by the authors of the strategy, are the large number of citizens of European countries, including the Western Balkans, fighting under the flag of various extremist and terrorist formations, and the fact that they use Bulgaria as a transit country in their travels; the wave of illegal aliens from the world's hot spots bound for Europe and the likelihood for terrorists to use this to penetrate the country; and the training of Bulgarian citizens in foreign religious education centres teaching extreme ideology.

The draft strategy says that due to its participation in the international anti-terror coalition, Bulgaria is a potential target of terrorists and that the likelihood for terror attacks now is bigger than it was before a July 2012 deadly bus bombing in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Bourgas.

The document identifies as the biggest risks the extreme poverty and social isolation of some communities in Bulgaria and the easily available, mostly on Internet, radical propaganda.

While the Bulgarian society is alien to all extreme ideologies and opposes all forms of terrorism, the likelihood for individual member of this society or foreign nationals residing in Bulgaria, to become involved in the preparation and perpetration of terrorist acts cannot be ruled out, the strategy says.

The document chapter dealing with the counter-terrorism measures says that the counterintelligence should go down among people, use the news media and NGOs. It also says that the capacity of the security services must be strengthened.

The document does not identify a need of substantial financial resources for implementing the strategy, the National Radio comments.

Three months after the adoption of the strategy, the Interior Ministry must prepare an action plan detailing the obligations of all competent institutions.

The draft strategy will be available for discussions until September 15, 2015.