Terrorism Alert in Europe: Increased Border Controls Against the Risk of Iranian Sleeper Cells

The strategy in Europe is taking shape and it is one: to brace for impact. Do not lose hope in diplomacy and, militarily speaking, act solely and exclusively in a defensive manner, for oneself and for allies, for example in the Gulf. In the case of Cyprus, an EU member state, without hesitation, as evidenced by the fact that Paris, Rome, and Athens are moving to secure the island. Under the surface, on the other hand, there is already a fear of a potentially heavy fallout on the security profile. The 27 interior ministers in Brussels have examined the situation and, while on the front of migrant waves everything is currently running smoothly, the greatest concern focuses on terrorism, with the possible activation of

“Iranian sleeper cells.”

“The greatest risk now is that, which is why we continue to call for de-escalation,” explains a European official. The EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, along with the European foreign ministers, has engaged with Gulf partners and, in a joint statement, they called on Iran to immediately cease attacks that threaten regional and global security. “There must be room for diplomacy to break the cycle of escalation,” Kallas had anticipated before the meeting. Trade, security, defense. Everything is interconnected. Because Iran is not that far away (it borders, for example, with Turkey, a NATO member). Indeed, a meeting of the Atlantic Council was held at NATO to analyze the missile defense posture after the case of the intercepted missile. Which was headed precisely towards Turkey and not towards Cyprus (but ended up off course), as claimed by Ankara. The island that gave birth to Aphrodite remains, in any case, the hot spot, more than a balcony on the front line -- not by chance the EU rotating presidency, held by Cyprus, has rescheduled or moved online all events in March, including the informal defense council that was supposed to take place next week.

Emmanuel Macron then took the trouble to call Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and in a spirit of European solidarity, the three agreed to coordinate the sending of military assets to Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean and to collaborate to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Even Spain, which has been vocally protesting against the intervention of the U.S. and Israel in Iran, confirms the commitment of the Spanish frigate Cristobal Colon, the most modern in the fleet, to the naval group of the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which will arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean next week, also for defensive operations. On the other hand, as mentioned earlier, there is a growing fear of risks on the terrorism front. "Our primary concern is the safety of our citizens and the crisis in the Middle East poses challenges for us," conceded the Commissioner for Internal Affairs Magnus Brunner.

The blue-stated executive, some sources report, in a sense has 'scolded' the 27 for the delay in implementing the new electronic entry control system at borders, which in the first 3 months has allowed for the stopping of 17,000 people for lacking access credentials, 500 of whom were deemed high risk.

In short, it is not just about avoiding long lines at airports during the summer season.

"The new system provides for a control duration of 70 seconds," a official specifies. "It's worth it, given the benefits".

The Commission then put on the table its proposal for combating terrorism - presented last week - instilling in the 27 the necessary "sense of urgency". But in the end, the competence lies with the member states and it is known, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.