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The Madrid attack, fifteen years ago already

(B2) The attack in Madrid on March 11, 2004 was a shock for Europeans (Read: Europe mobilizes against terrorism)

Minutes of silence on the Schuman roundabout Monday March 15, 2004 (credit: European Commission)

The importance of the act of course but, above all, its political resonance (the error of the Aznar government which attributes the attack to ETA) and its primacy (after the attacks of 2001, it is the first in Europe triggered by Islamic movements) resonated in everyone's mind.

He trained de facto solidarity (later formalized in the solidarity clause of the Lisbon Treaty), decisions taken to strengthen the exchange of information and cooperation in the field of terrorism, the emergence of the SitCen (situation center which later became the IntCen ) for intelligence analysis, and the idea of ​​strengthening civil protection in Europe, which would only come to fruition later (read: Civil protection, how Europe lost a battle).

But beyond the first shocks, the reaction was more measured (read: Terrorism. Europe is in battle order, dispersed)

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Also read our files:

And our profile: The EU's new anti-terrorist framework after the 2015 attacks (sheet)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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