Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Joint Statement with Foreign Counterparts Following G6 Ministerial Meeting

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch released a joint statement with U.K. Home Secretary Theresa May, the Interior Ministers of the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain, U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos following a G6 meeting in London on Dec. 9 and 10, 2015:

“Condemning recent terrorist attacks worldwide, including in Sousse, Paris, Bamako, Beirut and San Bernardino, we are united in our determination to combat terrorism through a strong yet proportionate national and international response.

“We reaffirm our commitment to tackling the threat posed by Daesh/ISIL and to countering violent extremism and radicalization with the values that we all share: respect, tolerance and democracy. At the heart of this work is a partnership with wider society: at the same time as we work with them to root out radicalization to violence, we reject any attempts to create division and marginalization amongst those we endeavor to protect.

“We are committed to stepping up cooperation in tackling this threat to our democracies. In particular, consistent with national law, we agree to:

• work with civil society and religious and faith groups to  deliver positive counter-narratives which promote the values underpinning peace, freedom and democracy;
• counter violent extremism, including by disrupting those who support terrorist activity, prosecuting all those who break the law and supporting those vulnerable to radicalisation;
• maximise cooperation and information-sharing between our respective law enforcement and other agencies including through European, US and international mechanisms;
• encourage communications service providers to  consider taking further steps to remove from the internet content which encourages, promotes or inspires the violent extremism associated with Daesh/ISIL and other such terrorist groups;
• enhance further the security of air travel by ensuring that airports worldwide meet the highest international standards both for passengers and cargo;
• continue and enhance cooperation within Europe and with the US on important initiatives, including passenger name records - welcoming political agreement on an EU Passenger Name Records Directive and the EU/US “Umbrella” agreement on data protection and privacy - as well as terrorist finance and further agreements to ensure effective data sharing in the interests of public security and protection; and
• enhance the security of the external border of the EU.

“We undertake to work together resolutely at an EU and international level to deliver the outcomes agreed at our meeting in London.”