On 21 and 22 September 2021 a total of 28 Spanish judges and prosecutors gathered in Barcelona for the seminar-course launch on Radicalisation and Terrorism Prevention, organised in cooperation with the Spanish Judicial Council (Consejo General del Poder Judicial) and the Spanish Office of the Public Prosecutor (Fiscalía General del Estado), in the framework of the EU-CoE project ´HELP Radicalisation prevention, Judicial response to terrorism & International cooperation in criminal matters´.

The event, which was held at the premises of the Spanish Judicial School in Barcelona, was a fantastic occasion for participants to improve their knowledge in the subject of radicalisation and terrorism, as well as to become familiar with the HELP course on Radicalisation Prevention, which is in its third edition for Spanish judges and prosecutors.

The seminar was opened by Mr Jorge Jiménez (Magistrate and Director of the Judicial School), Mr Diego Villafañe (Prosecutor, representing the Prosecutors Office) and Eva Massa (HELP Project Coordinator).

There was a very practical and interesting informative roundtable with three speakers: Ms Beatriz Bayo (Inspector representing the Spanish National Police), Mr Carlos García-Berro (Prosecutor at the Spanish Special Criminal Court/Audiencia Nacional) and Mr Carlos Fernández (representing Spanish Penitentiary Institutions). It was extremely interesting to hear an analysis of the current situation regarding radicalisation and terrorism (particularly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic) from three different, but complementary, perspectives.

The seminar included a very helpful comparative overview of the counter-terrorism strategy in France, provided by Mme Mariel Garrigos, (Link Magistrate in France and former Deputy prosecutor, Terrorism Unit, Office of the Public Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance, Paris).

Participants also had the opportunity to exchange views and best practices, and to network with colleagues. On the second day, the course tutor, Ms Ana Salinas, introduced the course, explaining it format and content and inviting participants to share their experiences and expectations.

All speakers and participants highlighted how constructive this multidisciplinary activity was, and they suggested the organisation of future similar events with a view to continue dialogue, analysis and mutual learning in such important areas.

Although this is a tutored edition, the HELP course on Radicalisation Prevention is available, in seven languages (EN, FR, SPA, DE, GR, IT, CZ), on the HELP e-learning platform.