The Council of Europe and the European Union have signed an agreement on the financing of an advance team to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe.
The aim of the joint project is to create a team to prepare the institutional, logistical and organisational foundations of the Special Tribunal, which will have the mandate to prosecute senior political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The joint project will be managed by the Council of Europe. It will lay the groundwork for the election of the Special Tribunal's judges and prosecutor, and the development of the tribunal's rules of procedure and evidence, as well as its court management system.
The advance team will also support stakeholder engagements to bolster support for the Special Tribunal.
"Today's agreement is a major step towards ensuring justice and accountability for the people of Ukraine, without which there can be no lasting peace. The Council of Europe will determinedly work together with the European Union and other key partners around the world to uphold the values that we hold dear, to ensure respect for international law and to make sure that violence and impunity do not prevail," said Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset.
"Unpunished crimes only encourage future atrocities. The European Union's release of the first €10 million to help set up a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine is a concrete step towards justice. Russia's leaders are responsible for this war, and they must be held accountable. There can be no impunity," said the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas.
"Our support for Ukraine is unwavering. The Special Tribunal is essential to ensuring a just and lasting peace by holding Russia accountable for its crime of aggression. There can be no durable peace without justice, and no justice without accountability. Today, we move one step closer to turning these principles into action," said Michael McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection.
The European Union will contribute 10 million euros to the Special Tribunal Advance Team (STAT) project through the European Commission's Foreign Policy Instruments.
The project will last for a maximum 24 months, or until the work can be funded via the future Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal.
Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine
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