ABSTRACT
Introduction In the aftermath of 9/11 and the anthrax letters of 2001, there have been ongoing discussions about the different approaches to fight terrorism – especially in the transatlantic context. While this might be true in the broader context of the U.S.- declared war on terror, called by the Bush administration the “Global War on Terror,” and renamed the “Overseas Contingency Operation” by the Obama administration, the picture is much more nuanced when it comes to the areas of biothreats. On both continents, bioterrorism is just one part of several aspects of rather broad biosecurity and biosafety policies. As the U.S. approach is already widely covered in this volume, we concentrate in this chapter on the European Union (EU). However, the chapter starts out by assessing different views on threats and related perceptions on biothreats on both sides of the Atlantic, covering biosafety and biosecurity, bioterrorism and agroterrorism, as well as other related issues. While it is not possible to also cover the policies and approaches of the EU Member States and other European countries, this chapter analyzes the EU policies and strategies, introduces the relevant agencies and institutions covering a wide range of biothreats, and highlights some of the early warning and information-sharing platforms. In the conclusion, the main findings are summarized and some policy recommendations provided.
