Earlier in the day, foreign ministers from the Council's member states met in the Cypriot capital of Nicosia for a joint session.
“The Council of Europe reiterates the need for governments to have an appropriate legal and administrative framework in place to enable victims to benefit from these measures, without discrimination and irrespective of whether the perpetrator of the terrorist act has been identified, arrested or prosecuted,” the statement read.
Among the measures that should be provided to victims of terrorism is free medical, psychological, financial and social aid, as well as unrestricted access to information, law and justice, according to the statement.
“The threat of terrorist attacks in Europe remains acute, but victims are not always getting the care and attention they need. It is for the state to reach out to victims of terrorist acts, not the other way around. Governments need to do more to make sure that victims of terrorism are not forgotten and to help them benefit from assistance and compensation,” Council’s Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said, as quoted in the statement.
The terror threat in Europe remains high in the wake of a series of deadly attacks that has being striking the continent over recent years. In April, a stolen truck rammed into a crowd of people on the major pedestrian street in Stockholm, leaving at least four people dead and 15 injured. Terrorist attacks hit London in March, as well as Berlin and Nice last year.
