On Tuesday 28 March, EU ministers for justice debated criminal measures to be taken for tackling the phenomenon of foreign fighters. The ministers of the interior tackled this question during their meeting in December.
On the basis of a report by the EU counter-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, ministers pointed out that they needed to increase the exchange of information between member states and cross check databases in an effort to find out when these foreign fighters are returning.
They also highlighted the appropriateness of rehabilitation programmes for these people and were delighted that the EU was providing funding for them, according to a report from one source. They also mentioned the question of how these foreign combatants should be tried in the courts. In this connection, discussions related to Iraq are taking place, explained the source, but no decision has been taken. Should they be tried in Iraq or at the International Court? These are some of the questions raised during this debate.
The French intelligence services indicated last November that around 700 French Jihadists were in Iraq and Syria, and could be tempted to get back into France. In February, Belgium mentioned the figure of 117 Belgian Jihadists that had returned to that country. Nonetheless, according to one source, no mass return has so far been observed and the efforts to make European external borders more secure could possibly be an explanation for this. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)