In a written answer on 15 June 2026, Home Affairs Commissioner Magnus Brunner declined to reassess the EU legal framework on movements such as Antifa, reiterating that national security and criminal law remain member state competences. The response, to a parliamentary question led by Tiago Moreira de Sá (PfE) and signed by 29 MEPs from several right-wing groups, follows a Molotov cocktail attack in Lisbon against pro-life demonstrators, which the questioners linked to the Antifa movement. Brunner condemned all forms of violence and pointed to existing EU instruments — the 2017 Anti-Terrorism Directive, the 2025 European Democracy Shield communication, and the February 2026 ProtectEU Agenda — as the appropriate framework. He stressed that it is for member states to apply national law, assess whether an incident qualifies as a terrorist offence, and take preventive or sanctioning measures.
The answer contains no new legislative proposals, no commitment to review the definition of terrorist offences, and no specific reference to Antifa. Instead, it reaffirms the Commission's existing approach: countering violent extremism through radicalisation prevention, online content monitoring, and enhanced Europol cooperation, while leaving operational decisions to national authorities. The response signals that the Commission sees no gap in EU law that would require a separate designation of political movements as terrorist entities, and that any such move would remain a national prerogative.
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