Multiculturality against radicalisation in Belgium and Portugal

ABSTRACT

This article overviews the P/CVE policies of Belgium and Portugal and focuses on a case study at the municipal level of the cities of, respectively, Aalst and Lisbon. This analysis begins with a diagnosis of each country’s history of different types of violent extremism and highlights how each country has dealt with this phenomenon and whether they have national P/CVE plans. In the case of Belgium, since it is divided into regions and linguistic communities, its national plan is above all a coordinating structure for all the policies implemented by the regions and communities. On the contrary, Portugal, another small EU country, has no national P/CVE plan. The municipal case study of Lisbon highlights and critically evaluates several scattered programmes that are oriented towards integration and multiculturality, which are the closest the country has to a P/CVE plan. In this article, the main features of all those programmes will be examined, including the levels of P/CVE intervention they address and whether or not they have policies destined directly for the field of education.

KEYWORDS:

• P/CVE
• Belgium
• Plan R
• Portugal
• Lisbon
• ENCT

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The concept is drawn from urban studies and is also applied, for instance, in the Territorial Agenda of the European Union 2020. See EU (2011).

2 98 841 people according to the 2019 data of the Aliens and Borders Service.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Horizon 2020 (grant number 962547).

Notes on contributors

Lorenzo Marinone

Lorenzo Marinone is a Researcher at the European Foundation for Democracy and a junior researcher at the EU Commission's European Research Community on Radicalisation (ERCOR).

Maria do Céu Pinto Arena

Maria do Céu Pinto Arena is Associate Prof. with ‘Habilitation’ in the Department of Political Science. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Durham, Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies (Faculty of Social Sciences). She teaches International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies in Graduate and Post-Graduate Programmes. She is an expert in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and International Organizations, with a focus on the UN and peacekeeping activities in general. She is also the author of several dozen articles published in national and international indexed scientific journals, book chapters, and institutional reports. She is the author and coordinator of 11 books. Her work has been published in the journals: Mediterranean Politics, Terrorism and Political Violence, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, International Peacekeeping and Revista Brasileira de Relações Internacionais. She held visiting positions at the Robert Schumann Centre, European University Institute (EUI), Florence and at University degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’.

Ana Leão Varela

Ana Leão Varela is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science and Public Policies at NOVA University of Lisbon (NOVA FCSH). Research Fellow at IPRI NOVA (Portuguese Institute of International Relations) and researcher at PPEACE Project - Public Policies for migrants reception (third-country nationals, asylum seekers, and refugees). She is also a strongly motivated and results-driven professional, with +20 years of experience in Portugal and abroad in E.U. Law, Public Law, Public Policies, Human Rights, Migration, and Social Security. She has relevant experience in legal writing and legal advice to policymakers. Ana started her career as a litigation lawyer. She has extensive experience of volunteer work, including in refugee camps, reception centers, and detention centers for migrants.