Terrorism experts from the European Union and the United States have warned nowhere is safe for the world’s terrorist organisations as they added the ability of such groups to act with impunity is to end.

The warning came as high-level representatives and prosecutors from the United States, the European Union, international organisations, and civil society met to discuss the latest developments and cooperation tools for the use of battlefield evidence collected in the context of an armed conflict.

The expert meeting at Eurojust, saw specialised prosecutors from the European Union dealing with counter-terrorism joined for the first time by their counterparts from core international crimes units.

The meeting was co-organised by the Eurojust Counter-Terrorism Working Group, the US Department of Justice and the EU Network for the investigation and prosecution of genocide, crimes against impunity and war crimes (Genocide Network).

Commenting on the importance of the meeting, Mr Matthew Blue, chief of the Counterterrorism Section in the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice said: “Terrorists and war criminals should have no illusions that they are safe from prosecution when they plot and commit crimes in conflict zones. The United States is committed to ensuring that battlefield evidence is available for use in its domestic cases and those pursued by its European allies. Today’s meeting reaffirms the strong transatlantic commitment to ensuring that this vital tool is effectively harnessed.”

His comments were backed by Baudoin Thouvenot, national member for France and chair of the Counter-Terrorism Team at Eurojust.

“We are experiencing challenging times, with a continuing terrorism threat and war at the borders of the EU, and now more than ever, impunity is intolerable,” he explained. “The use of evidence collected on battlefields is a crucial asset in the fight against war crimes, genocide and terrorism. Having the EU and the US judicial authorities working together and sharing expertise sends a strong message on the international scene.’

In view of continued terrorist threats, the fight against terrorism remains high on the EU agenda those at the meeting added. Eurojust has been assisting cases against returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and analysing the criminal justice response for some twenty years. A specific focus has been placed on FTFs who travelled to the conflict zone in Syria, but also other areas, to join jihadist terrorist groups.

“The complex and dynamic FTF phenomenon has been changing through the years,” Eurojust explained. “The support provided by Eurojust has been evolving to ensure that challenges faced by national authorities, including the gathering and admissibility of evidence, e-evidence and financial investigations, are addressed and national efforts are strengthened by solid multilateral cooperation and coordination.”

It added Battlefield evidence plays a key role in such cases. Such evidence may include registration forms, photos depicting crimes committed against civilians, fingerprints on explosive devices and e-mails describing terrorist plots. This evidence can demonstrate the operational workings and command structures of terrorist organisations, including the role of specific suspects and their associates. Battlefield evidence also can assist in assessing the intent and policies of different terrorist organisations operating in the EU, US and globally.

“The expert meeting at Eurojust is another milestone in the long-standing cooperation between Eurojust and US authorities on enhancing the access and use of battlefield evidence,” the organisation added. “It provided a platform for the sharing of challenges and best practice amongst practitioners, which is key to overcoming legal and practical hurdles in ongoing and future criminal cases. It demonstrated information and evidence sharing between EU, US and international partners is of prime importance in investigating and prosecuting alleged FTFs and has proved to be successful in the past.”