How do the EUșs constitutional foundations impact on the formulation, practice and scrutiny of counter-terrorism within the EU? Arguing that the EUșs counter-terrorism policy is an institution constituted by formal rules, procedures and norms as well as symbols and moral templates this book maintains that the legitimacy and social appropriateness of these policies stem from its constitutional foundations. Constitutionalism is interpreted as the main source of social legitimacy for EU counter-terrorism activities and an important factor contributing to the distinct characteristics of its counter-terrorism policy. The author shows that these dynamics affect not only the internal practice of the EUșs counter-terrorism policy but also the way the EU cooperates with its two most important partners in the fight against international terrorism: the UN and the US. Using an innovative theoretical framework and relying on interviews with policy stakeholders and extensive interpretative analysis of policy documents, legal texts and case-law, the book puts forward original arguments and a new systematic form of understanding EUșs counter-terrorism policy. At a time of increasing demand for EU action in counter-terrorism it makes a resolute case for the necessity of fighting terrorism within the law. About the AuthorBruno Oliveira Martins is assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at Aarhus University. He has been political analyst at the EU Delegation in Israel and resident or visiting researcher at the European University Institute (Florence), Egmont Institute (Brussels), CSEPS – Ben-Gurion University (Beersheva, Israel), NICPRI – University of Minho (Braga) and the IEEI (Lisbon). He is also affiliated with the Portuguese Institute of International Relations and Security (IPRIS). He has university degrees from both law and political science faculties. Recent publications include The EU and Armed Drones (Forum guest edited in Global Affairs, 2015) and The EU’s Fight Against Terrorism: The CFSP and Beyond (Routledge 2014, co-edited with Laura Ferreira-Pereira). His research has been published in the Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Perspectives on European Politics and Society, European Security, Mediterranean Politics, Global Affairs and Journal of European Integration, among others. Current research interests include international security, European constitutionalism and the cross-fertilization in law & politics research.