The Council of Europe and the European Union have signed an agreement to fund an advance team to help set up a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
The tribunal is intended to have a mandate to prosecute senior political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the Council of Europe and the European Commission announced on Saturday.
The Council of Europe said the joint project would be managed by the organisation and would prepare the institutional, logistical and organisational foundations needed for the tribunal to operate.
This includes groundwork for electing the tribunal’s judges and prosecutor, drafting its rules of procedure and evidence, and developing its court management system.
The advance team will also support engagement with stakeholders to build support for the tribunal.
EU funding and timeline
The European Union will contribute €10 million to the Special Tribunal Advance Team project through the European Commission’s Foreign Policy Instruments, the Council of Europe said.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, said the EU had released the first €10 million to help set up the tribunal and that “Russia’s leaders are responsible for this war, and they must be held accountable”.
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset said the agreement was “a major step towards ensuring justice and accountability for the people of Ukraine”.
The project will run for up to 24 months, or until it can be funded through a future Enlarged Partial Agreement on a management committee for the tribunal.
