#1 Sweden or the UK notably. Furthermore, some countries have still not prosecuted women yet, such as Finland, whereas other countries are now systematically prosecuting returning women. This discrepancy among European approaches to returnees could possibly impact the position of respective governments, and it will possibly lead to different responses across Europe. As a matter of fact, it is very much possible to envisage a combination of options for the whole population of ISIS detainees (local trials vs. repatriation), with a different equilibrium in each country. It is also possible to envisage a multi-step scenario, starting with the repatriation of the most vulnerable, notably the children, and leaving open the option of more repatriations at a later stage. As governments reflect on their options, however, they would be well advised to ponder the cost of their inaction against the words of this Danish grandfather in November 2019, after the repatriation of his grandson: “The Danish government has immensely helped us trace and bring him over,” he said. “I’m in debt to the Danish government”, he concluded. 80 Thomas Renard is Senior Research Fellow at the Egmont Institute and Adjunct Professor at the Vesalius College. Rik Coolsaet is Professor Emeritus of International Relations at Ghent University and Senior Associate Fellow at the Egmont Institute. The authors are grateful to Pilar Cébrian, Carola Garcia-Calvo, Christophe Paulussen, Francesco Marone, Céline Martelet, Edith Bouvier, Marc Hecker, Maja Touzari Greenwood, Juha Saarinen, Sofia Koller, Daniela Pisoiu, RTC Sweden, Collectif Familles Unies, Reprieve, ICRC, UNICEF, NCTV, CUTA and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their help in this research. EGMONT Royal Institute for International Relations 9