EU and Council of Europe Launch Advance Team for the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine

The European Union and the Council of Europe have signed an agreement to establish and finance an Advance Team for the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, marking a decisive step toward holding Russia’s leadership accountable for launching the war against Ukraine.

The joint initiative will operate within the framework of the Council of Europe and aims to lay the institutional, legal, logistical, and organizational foundations of the future Special Tribunal. The Tribunal will have a mandate to prosecute senior political and military leaders responsible for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The Advance Team will be responsible for preparing key elements necessary for the Tribunal’s operation, including:

• the groundwork for the selection of judges and the prosecutor,

• the development of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence,

• the establishment of a court management and administrative system, and

• engagement with international stakeholders to broaden political and legal support for the Tribunal.

The project will be managed by the Council of Europe. The European Union will provide €10 million in initial funding through the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments, underscoring the EU’s long-term commitment to justice and accountability for Ukraine.

The Advance Team project is expected to run for up to 24 months, or until its work can be transferred to a future Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal.

International Leaders on Accountability

Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the European Commission, emphasized the significance of the decision:

“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.”

Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, highlighted the link between justice and peace:

“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.”

Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, described the agreement as a milestone:

“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 work determinedly together with the European Union and partners worldwide to uphold international law and ensure that violence and impunity do not prevail.”

A Turning Point for Justice

The launch of the Advance Team represents a critical transition from political commitment to practical implementation of the Special Tribunal. It signals that accountability for the crime of aggression – often described as the “mother of all international crimes” – is no longer an abstract goal, but an emerging legal reality.

For Ukraine and the international community, this step reinforces a fundamental principle: there can be no peace without accountability.