PREVEX – Preventing Violent Extremism in the Balkans and the MENA

Why are some communities more likely to experience violent extremism than others? This was a core question for the PREVEX project, which was a collaborative research project consisting of a carefully assembled team of area and subject experts that represented both EU member states and the regions analysed.

THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED

When the EU revised its counter-terrorism policies several times since 2001, the destructive impact of violent extremism continued to take its toll, generating negative shocks across international borders. The overarching objective of PREVEX was, therefore, to put forward more fine-tuned and effective approaches to preventing violent extremism, through strengthening societal resilience.

Focusing on the broader MENA region and the Balkans, context-sensitive, in-depth case studies of the occurrence and non-occurrence of violent extremism was carried out and brought together in a regional comparison. Particular emphasis was placed on how to strengthen resilience through investigating non-occurrence of violent extremism in ‘enabling environments’.

The project was coordinated by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, and was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Objective

The overarching objective of PREVEX was to put forward more fine-tuned and effective approaches to preventing violent extremism. Focusing on the broader MENA region and the Balkans, context-sensitive, in-depth case studies of the occurrence and non-occurrence of violent extremism was carried out and then brought together in a regional comparison. In doing so, PREVEX sought to improve the understanding of how different drivers of violent extremism operate. Particular emphasis was placed on how to strengthen resilience through investigating the non-occurrence of violent extremism in ‘enabling environments’.