Palestinian group to remain on list of terrorists while EU appeals against finding that inclusion was based on media reports

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The European Union has said it will appeal against a court ruling that the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas should be removed from the bloc’s terrorist list.

The foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said in a statement that the EU had decided to challenge last month’s decision by the general court, the EU’s second-highest tribunal, which she said had been made on procedural grounds.

As a result of the appeal, Hamas will remain on the EU’s list of terrorist groups and its assets will remain frozen, pending a final judgement by the European court of justice.

The general court ruled that Hamas should be removed from the terrorist list because the decision to include it had been based on media reports, not on considered analysis.

It said the EU must provide evidence that Hamas is a terrorist group when it updates its list.

An EU official said this finding would be challenged in the appeal, as would the argument that the EU cannot use evidence from the internet.

Mogherini said the EU was studying “other appropriate remedial actions” it could take to avoid similar court decisions about other groups in future.

“The fight against terrorism remains a priority for the European Union. In this sense, the EU is determined to stem the financing of terrorism, for which EU autonomous measures are an essential tool,” she said.