This annex contains statistical information on the concluded court proceedings for terrorist offences in 2016, as reported to Eurojust. It highlights some key figures and, where relevant, compares those with the figures for previous years. The key figures are supplemented by further details and clarifications, as needed.
TABLE / Number of individuals in concluded court proceedings for terrorist offences per EU Member State in 2014, 2015 and 2016 , as reported to Eurojust.
Member State
2014
2015
2016
Austria
2
29
26
Belgium
46
120
136
Denmark
13
1
8
Estonia
0
0
2
Finland
4
0
4
France
36
14
66
Germany
11
17
30
Greece
10
38
3
Hungary
0
0
2
Italy
4
0
11
Lithuania
4
1
1
Netherlands
5
18
42
Portugal
0
0
1
Slovenia
0
1
1
Spain
191
166
154
Sweden
0
2
4
United Kingdom
115
106
89
Total
441
513
580
In 2016, 17 EU Member States reported to have concluded a total of 275 court proceedings in relation to terrorism.
The concluded court proceedings concerned 580 individuals. Seven of those individuals appeared before 1 the court more than once in 2016 in the framework of different criminal proceedings . As a result, the total number of verdicts pronounced for terrorism-related offences in 2016 was 587.
In 2016 there were 53 female defendants in the concluded court proceedings for terrorist offences.
In 2016, Spain reported the highest number of concluded court proceedings and the highest number of individuals convicted or acquitted of terrorist offences.
The vast majority of verdicts in the Member States in 2016 were pronounced in relation to jihadist terrorism. Similar to 2015, courts in Belgium rendered the highest number of verdicts concerning jihadist terrorism in 2016 (138).
All verdicts pronounced in Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal and Sweden in 2016 related to jihadist terrorism. A large number of such verdicts were also rendered in Germany and the Netherlands. The Spanish courts dealt with the highest number of separatist terrorism cases in the EU in 2016. Individuals charged with offences related to separatist terrorist groups were also tried in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Greece was the only Member State that reported verdicts for left-wing terrorist offences, while courts in Hungary, the Netherlands and Spain also tried right-wing terrorism cases.
The highest number of female defendants in the concluded proceedings in 2016 were tried for separatist terrorist offences (22) and for jihadist terrorist offences (also 22).
The average prison sentence for left-wing terrorist offences was the highest, increasing from 12 years in 2015 to 28 years in 2016. Jihadist and separatist terrorist offences were punished with an average prison sentence of 5 years, and right-wing terrorist offences with 4 years.
TABLE / Number of verdicts in 2016 per EU Member State and per type of terrorism, as reported to Eurojust.
Member State
Jihadist
Separatist
Left-wing
Right-wing
Not specified
Total
Austria
26
0
0
0
0
26
Belgium
138
0
0
0
0
138
Denmark
6
2
0
0
0
8
Estonia
2
0
0
0
0
2
Finland
4
0
0
0
0
4
France
68
0
0
0
0
68
Germany
28
2
0
0
0
30
Greece
0
0
3
0
0
3
Hungary
0
0
0
1
1
2
Italy
11
0
0
0
0
11
Lithuania
0
0
0
0
1
1
Netherlands
32
5
0
5
0
42
Portugal
1
0
0
0
0
1
Slovenia
0
0
0
0
1
1
Spain
38
116
0
3
0
157
Sweden
4
0
0
0
0
4
United Kingdom
-
-
-
-
89
89
Total
358
125
3
9
92
587
TABLE / Number of verdicts, convictions and acquittals per EU Member State in 2016, as reported to Eurojust.
Member State
Convictions
Acquittals
Total
Acquittals In %
Austria
26
0
26
0%
Belgium
127
11
138
8%
Denmark
4
4
8
50%
Estonia
2
0
2
0%
Finland
0
4
4
100%
France
68
0
68
0%
Germany
30
0
30
0%
Greece
3
0
3
0%
Hungary
2
0
2
0%
Italy
6
5
11
45%
Lithuania
0
1
1
100%
Netherlands
39
3
42
7%
Portugal
0
1
1
100%
Slovenia
0
1
1
100%
Spain
134
23
157
15%
Sweden
3
1
4
25%
United Kingdom
89
-
89
-
In 2016, Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece and Hungary reported successful prosecutions resulting in no acquittals for terrorist offences.
Germany remains the only Member State where prosecutions for terrorist offences led to guilty verdicts and no acquittals in the period 2010-2016
The year 2016 registered a record high conviction rate in concluded court proceedings (89%). The acquittal rate of 11% is significantly lower than those in 2015 (21%) and in 2014 (24%) and continues the downward trend compared to the years before.
All prosecutions for left-wing and right-wing terrorist offences resulted in convictions in 2016. Also the concluded jihadist terrorism cases had a very high conviction rate (92%), similar to that in 2015 (94%) . The acquittal rate among the verdicts related to separatist terrorism decreased significantly in 2016 (18%), compared to 2015 (47%).
// ANNEX 3
The data for the previous years corresponds to the data reported in the respective TE-SAT reports.
Eurojust received contributions containing information on terrorism-related court decisions in 2016 from the following Member States: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. As in 2014 and 2015, the UK contribution for 2016 covers England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK contribution includes proceedings on offences under antiterrorism legislation, as well as other offences assessed to be terrorism related. Similar to 2014 and 2015, the UK data for 2016 refers only to convictions.
In case a verdict pronounced in 2016 was appealed and the appeal was concluded before the end of the year, Eurojust counted the proceeding as one and reported only on the latest/final verdict.
The figures included in the UK submission to the TE0SAT differ from those reported by Eurojust. The UK submission included a figure of 68, consisting of 56 convictions and 12 acquittals. The TE0SAT is using the Eurojust figures for consistency.
In Spain, three individuals appeared before the court twice in 2016 in the framework of different criminal proceedings. In Belgium, the cases against two individuals were annulled on the basis of the ne bis in idem principle, as the court ruled the two had been convicted of the same facts earlier in 2015 and 2016. In France, two individuals appeared before the juvenile court and the criminal court.
The data provided by the United Kingdom was not broken down by type of terrorism and is therefore included under the category ‘Not specified’.
The figures included in the UK submission to the TE-SAT differ from those reported by Eurojust. The UK submission included a figure of 68, consisting of 56 convictions and 12 acquittals. The TE-SAT is using the Eurojust figures for consistency.
The number of acquittals in 2016 includes the annulled cases against two individuals in Belgium, in which the court referred to the ne bis in idem principle.
The UK data for 2016 refers only to convictions and is not included in the calculations of percentages.
The figures included in the UK submission to the TE-SAT differ from those reported by Eurojust. The UK submission included a figure of 68, consisting of 56 convictions and 12 acquittals. The TE-SAT is using the Eurojust figures for consistency.
Eurojust considers it one verdict if an individual is convicted of more than one terrorist offence within the same proceeding, or convicted of a terrorist offence and acquitted of another offence. If an individual is acquitted of a terrorist offence and convicted of another offence, the verdict is included in the overview as acquittal of terrorism.
The data provided by the United Kingdom was not broken down by type of terrorism and is therefore not included in the numbers.
