Project SAFTE is launched

Posted on 02/03/2017

Mid-february the SAFTE research met for the first time in the Flemish Parliament in Brussels to kick off the research project.

The project focuses on the acquisition of illicit firearms by terrorists in Europe. It aims to improve knowledge of and expertise in illicit firearms markets in the EU and the networks used by terrorists to access these markets. It will also analyse the policies that have been developed, at national and EU level, aimed at preventing and combatting this phenomenon.

In a first phase, the team will conduct an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of the illicit firearms markets in eight EU Member States: Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom.

At the first meeting, researchers involved in all of the eight country studies discussed in-depth the research approach and methodology that is being used in this phase. The combination of specific expertise of the different team members contributed to a very fruitful discussion.

The second meeting of the SAFTE research team is scheduled for June 2017. At this meeting, the team will discuss in detail the results of the country studies. By the end of June, all eight country studies will be finished. This work will provide the basis for the second phase of Project SAFTE: the systematic analysis of (terrorist access to) illicit gun markets in Europe and the drafting of recommendations.