Strategy of the Czech Republic for the Fight Against Terrorism

Measures to minimize risks and impacts of potential terrorist attacks carried out in the Czech Republic or against its interests abroad

The present document is intended for a broad audience at home. At the same time, it is the Czech Republic´s stance on the issue of terrorism meant for our international partners not only in the European Union, but in all countries who uphold the principles of free and democratic society and who refuse terrorism as a means of enforcing interests of organised groups or individuals.
The Strategy is fully in line with the current security strategy of the Czech Republic. When drafting the Strategy, the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) collaborated with other bodies active in the field of safety and security. These stakeholders have provided valuable insights for setting out the key principles of the document.

The "Strategy of the Czech Republic in the Fight against Terrorism from 2013 onwards" (hereinafter the "Strategy") is conceived as a document of a general nature intended to make the reader acquainted with the fundamental principles of the fight against terrorism in the Czech local context, to focus on particular areas concerned directly by the fight against terrorism but also to identify weaknesses in the security system of the Czech Republic that are relevant for this field.

It is assumed that this document should remain relevant for several years. The paper will be updated as appropriate, according to situation in the area of the fight against terrorism, following substantial changes to the relevant legislation or those made at the level of the European Union and other international organisations (UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, etc.).

The "Strategy of the Czech Republic in the Fight against Terrorism from 2013 onwards" (hereinafter the "Strategy") is conceived as a document of a general nature intended to make the reader acquainted with the fundamental principles of the fight against terrorism in the Czech local context, to focus on particular areas concerned directly by the fight against terrorism but also to identify weaknesses in the security system of the Czech Republic that are relevant for this field. The strategy deals with five key areas – the cooperation among stakeholders in the fight against terrorism, protection of population and other potential targets, security research and communication with the public, prevention of radicalisation and recruitment to terrorist groups, as well as the necessary insights into the legislative framework of the fight against terrorism. These parts go hand in hand and form a compact, which aims to grasp the matter from all points of view.

Strategy of the Czech Republic for the fight against terrorism is too general without specific tasks and the dates of their fulfilment. It is a coherent text that contains basic issues and tasks in the fight against terrorism in the conditions of the Czech Republic. By not listing any specific tasks in the document and deadlines for their performance, the evaluation of the Strategy is problematic. Strategy can be compared to EU Action Plans. From a general point of view, both documents are political and rather more general without specific tasks.

Prime Minister
Ministry of the Interior Finance
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Transport
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Industry and trade
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
Ministry of Defence
Chair of the Council of the Czech Telecommunication Office
Chair of the State Office for Nuclear Safety
Directory of the Security Information Service and the National Security Authority
Governor of the Czech National Bank

The concept is funded by the Ministry of the Interior.
Unfortunately, we were not able to provide any further information.

TICHÁNKOVÁ, Lucie. Boj s terorismem v intencích evropského práva [online]. Olomouc, 2011 [cit. 2017-10-19]. Dostupné z: http://theses.cz/id/7bga9t/?lang=en;furl=%2Fid%2F7bga9t%2F. Diplomová práce. Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, Právnická fakulta. Vedoucí práce Nad?žda Šišková.
STRATEGY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM: from 2013 onwards. In: Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic [online]. Praha: Security Policy Department, 2013 [cit. 2017-10-19]. Dostupné z: http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/strategie-v-boji-proti-terorismu-2013-en-pdf.aspx

http://www.mvcr.cz/mvcren/
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/strategie-v-boji-proti-terorismu-2013-en-pdf.aspx
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/3-nap-2013-material-pdf.aspx
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/narodnin-akcni-plan-boje-proti-terorismu-2002.aspx
http://www.mvcr.cz/soubor/narodni-akcni-plan-boje-proti-terorismu-2002.aspx
http://www.mvcr.cz/clanek/casto-kladene-dotazy-strategie-cr-od-roku-2013.aspx
https://www.databaze-strategie.cz/cz/mv/strategie/strategie-boje-proti-terorismu-pro-leta-2010-2012

Terrorism remains one of the security challenges of the modern world – together with organised crime, extremism, religious, ethnic and social conflicts, integration of migrants and economic and environmental risks. The threat of terrorism as a means of violent enforcement or pursuit of political or other objectives (e.g. religious, economic, criminal...) remains high. One of its defining features is the existence of a transnational network of loosely connected groups which, even without a single chain of command, share ideology, objectives and plans, financial resources and information. They are a direct threat to human life and health, as well as to critical infrastructure.
On the other hand, the Czech Republic is one of the countries with the least overt threats coming from – especially – Jihadist terrorism. Whether or not this makes the strategy irrelevant depends on the threat perception of the individual; but it can be said that there is a fundamentally unlikely or lower chance of the Czech Republic being targeted in these circumstances.

The methods of the fight against terrorism are subject to constant and dynamic change, so does the terrorist modus operandi. Strategic documents relevant for the area should also reflect this. It can be claimed, without doubt, that it is impossible to come out victorious from the fight against terrorism, since before one battle is over, another one is looming on the horizon. This said, it will never be possible to come up with an "ideal" strategic document in this field, and it will always be necessary to keep it up-to-date with new developments, as well as to constantly adjust its implementation to new circumstances.

Referring to the lack of the specific tasks and the dates of their fulfilment, this category cannot be described.

Basic principles of the fight against terrorism:
• Improved communication and cooperation between the components involved in the fight against terrorism and better conditions for their work
• Protection of population, critical infrastructure and other targets potentially vulnerable to a terrorist attack
• Security research, training and information to the public on specific aspects of the fight against terrorism
• Prevention of radicalisation and recruitment to terrorist structures
• Legislative and contractual issues in the context of international obligations

The measures to combat terrorism are designed as an integrated set of actions that focus on specific elements of the issue. The implementation of the agreed actions is subject to regular evaluation.
Promotion of fundamental values of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights make an integral part of the broader approach to the fight against terrorism.
The Czech security forces assume their responsibility for the protection of the public against terrorism but at the same time they are attentive to the protection of citizens´ privacy. Each particular measure referred to in this document strives to achieve the right balance between two key values: security and freedom of individuals. It is however beyond any doubt that in the event of a real or imminent threat the interests of individuals step back to give priority to the interest of the whole society.

One of the preconditions of successful counter-terrorism is the ability of the security forces to collect, analyse and assess information on the intentions and activities of terrorist structures in a timely manner, to quickly exchange such information and cooperate with other stakeholders (intelligence and police in particular) at home and abroad. Both the Czech intelligence services and the police are actively involved in direct international cooperation.
The international commitments of the state require a similar approach, not only with regard to the membership of the EU, NATO, OSCE, the Council of Europe and others, but also in the context of bilateral arrangements.
The Joint Intelligence Group is an important body to support the exchange of information in the fight against terrorism. It is a permanent working body of the Committee for Intelligence Activities (one of the committees working under the responsibility of the National Security Council). The Joint Intelligence Group is composed of representatives of the Prime Minister´s Office, Czech intelligence services, Ministry of the Interior, Police of the Czech Republic, and Ministry of foreign Affairs. Representatives of other government bodies may be invited as appropriate.
An important step on the side of the Police of the Czech Republic was the creation of the National Contact Point for Terrorism (NKBT), which began to operate on 30 March 2009. The NKBT is attached to the Unit for Combating Organised Crime within the Criminal Police and Investigation Service of the Czech Police. As of 1 July 2009 the NKBT works round-the-clock. The National Contact Point enables a close collaboration and exchange of operational and intelligence information between the police and intelligence services dealing with terrorism.