Acting as President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg oversaw the signing of a momentous agreement founding the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
Signed in Strasbourg by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, the accord is the first real foreign effort to hold Russian leadership responsible for beginning the all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Speaking for Malta’s presidency, Borg stated he was “deeply humbled” to witness the signing of such a major development.
Borg stated, “This Tribunal will deal with one of the most egregious violations of international law: the crime of aggression by ensuring that those who hold power are not shielded by it. They will be held to account—not through retaliation, but rather through law.”
The signing is a result of a special meeting of the Committee of Ministers under Borg, where the establishment treaty of the tribunal was nearly unanimously approved.
By expressly prosecuting the crime of aggression, a charge that current courts such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) struggle to pursue, the Special Tribunal solves a big gap in the global legal system. Focusing on high-level decisions surrounding the start of conflict, this new court will support the ICC’s present work.
Under Malta’s direction, the Council of Europe will now concentrate on establishing the Tribunal together with more general support measures for Ukraine, including a Claims Commission and Compensation Fund.
Over 34,000 claims on war damages have been filed with the Register of Damages maintained by the Council of Europe till now.
