The European Union is seeking to remove jihadist content from the Internet as it moots plans for a counter-terrorism unit.
Working under Europol, the Internet Referral Unit will tackle the waves of violent Islamic propaganda spread through platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, which has been a key source of recruitment for jihadists seeking to attract converts from the West.
A briefing document outlining the plans said: "The internet is a major facilitator for radicalisation to terrorism. Addressing this matter poses a number of different challenges.
"The sheer volume of internet content promoting terrorism and extremism requires pooling of resources and a close cooperation with the industry."
The plans will be seen as an extension of a Europol tool that is already being used to flag violent Islamic websites and content, and will be presented to the European Justice and Home Affairs Council, with a proposed launch on June 1.
Under the scheme member states will nominated an authority from within their country to work with the new unit, which is thought likely to be modelled on Britain’s Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU).
They come amid a resurgence of anti-jihadist feeling following to the slaughter of journalists at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, as well as greater European security fears over the integrity of Ukraine and Russian aggression towards NATO and the EU.
However they will also have to face a climate of declining defence spending across NATO member states, which include many EU states, which contributed to a backlash against a proposed EU army from European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
