Using the internet to promote acts of terrorism will become a criminal offence under plans to be unveiled by the European Commission today.
The plan is to criminalise internet content that amounts to training for terrorism or incitement to commit terrorist acts. This includes guides to assembling bombs and weapons.
EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini wants a new EU offence of "public provocation to commit a terrorist offence", which would include "the distribution, or otherwise making available, of a message to the public, with the intent to incite [terrorism]".
The offence would carry an agreed minimum jail term in all EU countries, and charges under the new law could be brought even if no act of terrorism resulted from the "public provocation".
The proposal states: "For an act to be punishable, it shall not be necessary that a terrorist offence be actually committed."
Although the internet is the prime target, the new law would apply to all communication deemed to provoke terrorism.
Commission officials insisted the law would not curb the use of the internet to express political, academic or analytical views on terrorism.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is today due to unveil the Counter Terrorism Bill to increase powers of detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists.
Today's proposal warns that the internet is "one of the principal boosters of the processes of radicalisation and recruitment". It describes the web as a "virtual training camp" for terrorist recruiters and "an ideal complement to offline indoctrination and training".