Prior to 1986 EC member States had been reluctant to name countries as either practitioners, sponsors, or sympathizers of terrorism. The change was largely stimulated by the increase in Libyan-sponsored terrorism in Europe as documented by the United States as well as the unilateral U.S. attack on Libya. After the Libyan incident, the EC began naming publicly those States which its members broadly considered to be sponsors of terrorism. This step, however, was to be but one element in an antiterrorism package that embraced both punitive and defensive measures. The EC scrutinized a range of diplomatic, legal, and economic sanctions that the States could invoke in concert to undermine terrorism. The EC's commitment to legal remedies against terrorism has helped shape measures to prevent the abuse of political asylum, to coordinate action to combat organized crime, to harmonize extradition agreements, and to promote the rapid exchange of information and regular exchanges of personnel between police and security forces. 45 notes.