The Basque militant group ETA's decision to declared a permanent cease-fire once again shows that the Europe's decades-old terrorist groups are coming closer to an end. The Irish Republican Army (IRA), National Front for the Liberation of Corsica (NFLN), the Red Army Faction, November 17 or the Red Brigades, all known for their activities since the '70s, are now becoming mainly pieces of history.

Can this be interpreted as a success of the European Union and also its policies against terrorism? The answer is only partly yes, at least in the case of ETA. The EU in December 2001 declared ETA a terrorist organization -- the first time all 15 member governments labeled ETA as such, in a significant diplomatic victory for the Spanish government. This was followed by stronger cooperation between the Spanish and French police, and some other European partners, which brought the arrest of some top leaders of ETA and seizure of financial sources of the militant group.

In fact the EU did not provide strong cooperation with the countries which were under the threat of terrorism from the very beginning. The EU only started seriously to work on combating terror after the 9/11 attack and last July's bombings in London. While today there is some progress in this field, the EU still lacks a comprehensive strategy against terrorism and decisiveness, not to mention that it is unprepared to overcome recent challenges.

Following the London bombings, the EU agreed to strengthen several initiatives including combating terrorism financing, improving information-sharing and intensifying the exchange of police and judicial information. The agreement among 25 members has boosted hopes for a stronger common struggle against terrorism. However, so far there has been so little real practice of all these, mainly due to lack of mutual confidence among the the EU member countries, and differences in terms of legal and historical traditions, and visions of the EU.

This failure of the EU in counter-terrorism is not only undermining its own security but also Turkey's efforts against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK is apparently not an immediate concern of the EU, but a closer look at the issue shows that the terrorist group's widespread activity across Europe and its policy of violence, which limits the development of a democratic Kurdish political movement, is undermining the desired aim of many European countries: a democratic, pluralistic and stable Turkey.

The EU added the PKK to its terror group list in 2002, but so far most EU member countries have failed to take strong measures against the PKK presence or activities in and through their countries, either not to cause bigger problems in their home country, or to gain influence over the organization's activities.

That was also the case for the timid calls to the terrorist organization and PKK-affiliated political groups. The EU countries have failed to give stronger messages to them, to renounce violence without any precondition and for the leading Kurdish politicians to disassociate themselves from the PKK.

Of course, it is above all Turkey's homework to provide a comprehensive plan to solve its Kurdish problem, but deficiency in that can no way be an excuse for the EU to tolerate the PKK, a terrorist group whose attacks have claimed lives of more than 30,000 people since 1984.

Following the ETA's decision, it is time for the EU to be courageous enough to give a clear and stronger message to the PKK.