The EU’s highest court has maintained a ruling that Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is a terrorist organisation, in a blow to campaigners who have called for the militant organisation to be removed from Europe’s blacklist, reported the Financial Times.

Today’s ruling from the European Court of Justice overturns a judgement from a lower European court to remove Hamas from the list in 2014. The ECJ said the General Court “should not have annulled Hamas’ retention on the European list of terrorist organisations”.

In an opinion last year, the ECJ’s advocate general Eleanor Sharpston also recommended Hamas be taken off the blacklist which imposes a ban on funding for terror organisations and travel restrictions on its members. Her non-binding opinion was based on the claim that the terror designation was based on media and internet reports about Hamas and not evidence gathered through an independent investigation.

Despite retaining Hamas on the list, the ECJ said Sri Lankan separatist group the Tamil Tigers would be taken off the blacklist, upholding the General Court’s decision three years ago.

The ECJ said it would refer the Hamas case back to the lower court.