INTRO:
Europe began 2016 with security tight in the wake of the Paris Terror attacks.
The same ISIS linked cell behind that attack—targeted Brussels next.
And more attacks in Europe followed.
As our Correspondent Kevin Ozebek in Brussels looks at the year ahead, 2017 is shaping to be another year in which Europe will be on high alert.
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PACKAGE SCRIPT:
It was a brutal morning rush hour attack.
On the morning of March the 22nd a Brussels based ISIS cell deploys suicide bombers in the main international airport and on the metro.
That morning Brian Carrol was on the metro—making his way to work.
(SOT)
Brian Carrol/Witness
Source: FSN
:55
"There was smoke everywhere, people were screaming, everyone dropped down to the floor, it was horrifying. It was clear immediately it was a terror attack."
The explosions kill 32 innocent commuters.
On July 14th—86 are plowed down in Nice, France.
Germany also saw summer attacks.
Police presence has been beefed up across the continent—but policy experts say in 2017 Europe must focus more on integration.
Shada Islam with Brussels based the think tank—Friends of Europe.
(SOT)
Shada Islam/Friends of Europe
4:35:30
SOURCE: FSN
"The real problem is we have to deal with our communities—our minority communities in Europe. Especially our Muslim communities we have to create a feeling of being part of the family."
And those communities are rapidly growing…
In 2016 the human flood of refugees and migrants to Europe continued.
Europe did negotiate a plan with Turkey to dramatically slow the flow of Syrians heading to Greece.
But a record setting 171 thousand migrants made their way from North Africa to Italy…
And European Commissioner Dimitrs Avramopoulis (Av-romp-po-lus) warns in 2017—the Mediterrean migration route could be as active as ever.
(SOT)
Dimitris Avramopoulos/European Commissioner
:10
"The crisis we are confronted with is far away from being over soon."
The EU has just struck a deal with Mali that will see the African country getting economic and security aid in return for taking back migrants whose asylum requests are rejected.
Europe is hoping it can strike similar deals with more African allies in the new year—to slow the massive wave of migration.
Kevin Ozebek, Brussels
