Shortly after the fatal bomb attacks in Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the heart of the EU on March 22, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel told the public, "What we feared has happened." For weeks, intelligence agencies had warned of the possibility of a large-scale terrorist attack on the European continent, saying that it was only a matter of time.  

The recent attacks killed at least 35 people and injured several hundreds more. The terrorists were not just targeting the Belgian Government, but aimed to at least symbolically inflict damage on the European establishment. At the time of writing, at least two suspects are still at large.

Less than five months ago, deadly blasts rocked Paris, France, claiming more than 130 people's lives. The March 18 arrest in Brussels of the fugitive and French national Salah Abdeslam, the only known surviving suspect of the November Paris attacks-after a four month manhunt-neither deterred, nor prevented the attacks from happening in the same city just four days later.

Afterward, U.S.-based terrorism expert Paul Cruickshank said of the terrorist network becoming increasingly prevalent in the EU, "There's a spider web, an intricate spider web stretching through Europe. The center of that spider web is Brussels."

To be sure, the so-called "Islamic State" (ISIS) extremist group, which claimed responsibility for the above attacks, sees Europe as an enemy. While the United States may also be a target, perhaps the United States is too far away, or logistically, attacks on Europe by people already there were more feasible.

U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that at least 5,000 European-born Muslims have been to Syria or Iraq to participate in terrorist training exercises, many of whom have since gone back to Europe. In testimony to a U.S. Congressional committee, NATO Commander in Chief and U.S. Air Force General Philip M. Breedlove estimated that among the millions of migrants arriving in European countries as part of the massive refugee influx-caused in part by the war and subsequent humanitarian crisis in Syria-at least 1,500 have been trained as terrorists.

The capabilities of potential terrorists should not be underestimated. The series of bombings from Paris to Brussels have already shown ISIS's capacity for bloodshed. They have also highlighted Europe's security loopholes.

After the Brussels attacks, European countries once again stepped up anti-terrorism measures. In the Netherlands, Belgium's neighbor to the north, border controls were tightened and trains to and from the country were suspended. Security patrols were reinforced in the main airports serving the Paris metropolitan area. German police increased security on the borders with Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, as well as in domestic airports and railway stations. In fact, security measures have been beefed up in almost all European countries, including Scandinavian countries like Norway and Finland.

Despite the measures European authorities have made to restore people's confidence in security on the continent, the repeated terrorist attacks have already cast a long shadow. The casualties at home have forced Europeans to understand that the fight against terrorism is no longer taking place in a faraway land. Against this backdrop, Europe's immigration policies are experiencing renewed scrutiny, and the traditional Western values of taking in political and humanitarian refugees may find itself threatened.

National politics in some major European countries have taken a turn to the right, and the recent bombings may accelerate the rising trend of nativism being championed by right-wing parties there. Unfortunately, the rise of terrorism has coincided with the rise in immigration, making a convenient excuse for those whose political agenda it suits.

In local elections, some have voiced their concerns over their countries' policies of taking in Middle Eastern refugees, with French President François Hollande's Socialist Party and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union both suffering recent losses. Meanwhile, far-right parties, such as France's National Front, enjoyed a relatively strong performance in the latest election.

The Brussels attacks may weaken the pro-EU argument in the United Kingdom amid security fears. The attacks in Brussels came just months before the UK will vote in a referendum on whether or not to stay in the EU, an event scheduled for June 23. Since the Paris incident, pro-Europe officials and supporters in the UK feared that another terrorist event in Europe could severely damage their campaign to stay in the EU.

Actually, within an hour of the first attack in Belgium, the far-right UK Independence Party issued a press release linking the attacks to the EU's immigration policies and the Schengen passport-free zone, though others responded that the Schengen Agreement has played a fundamental role in promoting European integration.

Soldiers guard the entrance to Brussels' central railway station on March 23, one day after the attacks in the capital’s metro station and airport (XINHUA) 

Under the agreement, member countries have promoted the free movement of people, which is seen as a major factor in propelling the continued prosperity of the EU. However, due to the terrorist threat, and the wave of immigrants that has received a mixed response from the bloc's members, some EU states are now rebuilding "walls" via increased border controls. The Schengen Agreement is thus in an awkward position moving forward.

Perhaps most worrying is that Europe's inclusiveness may be diminishing. Europe, which is still recovering from the worst economic recession in decades, is now prioritizing security. Fueled by the now frequent occasion of terrorist attacks carried out by religious extremists, some European countries, which traditionally championed diversity, are now less willing to accept refugees from the Middle East-the majority of whom are Muslim.

Europe's dream of pan-continental integration is also a victim of the terrorism sprees. The attacks are shaking the foundations of Europe, and throwing its security, continued development and cohesive existence into question.

Major Terrorist Attacks in Europe 

- March 22, 2016: More than 30 people were killed and several hundreds injured in attacks at Brussels international airport and a city metro station in Belgium. 

- November 13, 2015: About seven simultaneous shootings and explosions rocked central Paris, France, during the evening. One of the shootings resulted in a hostage taking crisis at the Bataclan theater and concert hall, killing at least 130 people and wounding many more. 

- June 26, 2015: Two men forced entry into a U.S. gas company in Isere, southeast France, leaving behind several wounded victims. A decapitated body was found at the site with an Islamist State flag beside it. 

- January 7, 2015: The Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper in France, was attacked by heavily armed men. Twelve people were killed. On January 8, a 20-year-old policewoman was killed in a shooting in Montrouge, south Paris. On January 9, at least two people were killed and one injured in the Porte de Vincennes hostage crisis in East Paris. 

- March 19, 2012: Three children and an adult were killed in a shooting outside a Jewish school in France's southwestern city of Toulouse in the morning. The shooting was the third of its kind in the region in a week. On March 11 and March 15, three soldiers were killed in two similar shootings in Toulouse and in nearby Montauban. 

- July 7, 2005: 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured in suicide bomb attacks on London's transport system in the United Kingdom . 

- March 11, 2004: At least 190 people were killed and more than 1,200 injured in a series of bomb attacks on the Madrid train system during the morning rush hour in Spain. 

(Source: www.xinhuanet.com)