Life goes on in Brussels, Nice and other places that have recently suffered terrorist attacks. Citizens’ resilience seems remarkable. But fear is here. It travels on the metro in Paris and on the tube in London. It sits on sunny café terraces. Friends reconsider their annual trip to Munich’s Oktoberfest.
Until recently, personal safety was a marginal concern to the vast majority of people in the EU. Now, terrorism challenges our way of life. We understand that violence in varying shapes and forms will be part of the world we live in.
Within months, the thinking about security in Europe has significantly changed. The EU recently published its global strategy, which sets out its core interests and principles. It rightly underlines that we cannot fend off threats abroad and that external and internal security are inextricably linked. Governments are stepping up internal security measures.