The fight against terrorism lies at the centre of the European Union's activities in the area of justice, freedom and security. It has been one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the European Union integration project in the recent years. The EU Member States have been creating this security network by a continuous harmonised approach in the area of intelligence and law enforcement cooperation. Europol is an important part of this network because it was established in response to the need to ensure protection to EU citizens against international threats. It is one of the main platforms used by the MS in this continuous cross border and multidimensional endeavour. Europol carries out its work through facilitating a smooth and secure information exchange between the MS and accredited third partners, by monitoring of terrorism related information, by providing operational support, ensuring analysis of criminal intelligence provided by MS and other sources and by conducting threat and risk assessments. Europol in close cooperation with the MS and its partners will accordingly improve its counterterrorism mechanisms and will adapt to new policy responses as elaborated by the EU political leadership.