The Dutch Contact Point of the EMN launched an ad-hoc query in June 2016 on how and to what extent relevant governmental institutions in the EU Member States and Norway are equipped to identify 1) possible jihadists in the asylum process, and 2) recruitment activities in reception centers.

18 (Member) States provided an answer, including Belgium.

Some of the main findings of the ad-hoc query:

• The majority of countries that answered the ad hoc query have acknowledged the risk of jihadists using the refugee flow to enter Europe and the risk posed by recruitment activities in reception centres.
• Most countries have measures in place to identify persons that could form a threat to national security, such as jihadists, during the asylum procedure. These measures broadly fall within the following categories: 1) security screenings, 2) capacity building in the primary process of immigration services such as trainings and awareness raising campaigns 3) specific reporting structures to communicate information on potentially dangerous persons identified during the asylum procedure and 4) effective information exchange between governmental authorities.
• A number of countries reported an increase in the number of incidents relating to possible jihadists or the radicalization or recruitment for the jihad in or around the asylum process. However, the increase in the absolute number of reported incidents in some countries does not necessarily mean that also the relative number of incidents increased. An increase of incidents has only been reported by countries that received a higher influx of asylum seekers during the last two years.

More detailed information can be found in the attached compilation of answers provided by 18 (Member) States, or in the summary of the answers prepared by the Dutch Contact Point of the EMN.