On the invitation of the Executive Board, Prof. Dr. Christian Kaunert is a guest at PRIF from September 8 to 11, 2026. He is a leading expert in the field of international security, policing, and counterterrorism in Europe. During his stay at PRIF, he provided insights into his research through, among other things, a lecture on Europe's role in the global fight against terrorism.
Christian Kaunert is Professor of International Security at Dublin City University, Ireland, Professor of Policing and Security and Director of the International Centre for Policing and Security at the University of South Wales. Furthermore, he holds the Jean Monnet Chair in Policing and Counter-Terrorism in Europe and serves as Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and the Jean Monnet Network on EU Counter-Terrorism (EUCTER). Throughout his career, Christian Kaunert has served as an expert for the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), the European Parliament’s Committee on Counter-Terrorism, the European Union Institute for Security Studies (an EU agency), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Over the course of his career, he has been awarded seven prestigious Marie Curie fellowships, four Jean Monnet Chairs, and ultimately three Jean Monnet Centers of Excellence, as well as a Jean Monnet Network of Excellence, “EUCTER.”
His presentation titled “The EU as a Global Counter-Terrorism Actor – the case of EU-India” was based on a paper that examines the rapid evolution of the European Union (EU) from an insignificant regional entity to a major force in the global fight against terrorism. While traditional research has largely focused on transatlantic relations, Kaunert broadens the empirical horizon by highlighting South Asia and emphasizing the EU’s deepening strategic cooperation with India in the field of counterterrorism. He demonstrates that the EU’s growing engagement with key democratic partners such as India – despite persistent institutional fragmentation and constraints imposed by national sovereignty – is solidifying its position as an increasingly capable and versatile global security actor.