TALLINN, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser Friday said that radicalization and terrorism are the common concern of EU member states and candidate countries.
"We have to exchange information and make our cooperation even more effective. People are becoming radicalized at an ever-faster pace, with the internet playing a major role in this trend," Mikser was quoted as saying in a press release.
He noted that the EU member states are looking for ways to engage in prevention without fundamental civil liberties suffering as a result, such as youth outreach, and improving their education, employment level and living conditions.
During the second day of the two-day informal meeting of the European Union's foreign ministers, a working session was held with candidate countries for EU membership on the issue of "preventing and countering radicalization and violent extremism".
The EU is working extensively in this area with the Western Balkan countries and Turkey. EU anti-terrorism experts are engaged in a number of efforts, and meetings and consultations have been taking place in this field, said the press release.
In cooperation with these countries, a number of EU projects are being implemented focusing mainly on prevention, with many activities meant for younger parts of the population and non-governmental organizations, it added.
The EU foreign ministers also discussed the need to preserve unity on various foreign policy topics, while the Estonian foreign minister stressed that "Adherence to our common policies is an important responsibility of all member states".
