Social values and material threat: the European Programme for Critical Infrastructure Protection

Since the outset of Europe's role in the War on Terror, the protection of Europe's 'critical infrastructures' has been a central focus of the anti-terrorist effort. The purpose of this article is underscore the challenges involved in conceptualising critical infrastructure and its protection in terms of social values. These difficulties, we will suggest, are not merely roadblocks standing in the way for effective anti-terror policy making. They challenge European policy makers in all fields to revisit and reflect upon the meaning and aim of anti-terror protection.