Shashwati Chowdhury
Published on: June 10, 2022 at 19:12 IST
With €7.25 million, the European Commission has established a new project under its Foreign Policy Instrument to support the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) investigation capacities.
HRVP originally announced the project in Kyiv, and it is part of the EU’s global campaign to fight impunity for international crimes. It will specifically assist the ICC in expanding its investigation capacity in order to respond to ongoing investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Josep Borrell, High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission, said: “There can be no impunity for the crimes committed under Russian occupation. The International Criminal Court’s investigations are crucial to ensure accountability and justice for the heinous crimes committed in Ukraine.
The European Union backs the ICC Prosecutor’s investigation. On April 25, Eurojust and the International Criminal Court agreed to collaborate and the Court would join the EU’s Joint Investigation Team.
Information on possible war crimes and crimes against humanity is now being gathered in order for relevant actors to investigate and adjudicate potential war crimes in the future, ensuring that those responsible for war crimes and other atrocities are held accountable.
This crisis response measure will give targeted support to the ICC Prosecutor’s Office in order to scale up the Office’s data storage and processing infrastructure.
The European Union is determined to hold Russian decision-makers accountable for serious violations of international law and humanitarian law in Ukraine.
Following reports of atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, President von der Leyen met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and agreed to work closely together. Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders has been tasked by President von der Leyen to follow up on and support the coordination of EU efforts to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated in Ukraine.
It is critical to ensure the safe storage of evidence outside of Ukraine, and to support various European and international judicial authorities’ investigations and prosecutions. The Commission recommended amending the Eurojust Regulation to allow the Agency to legally store and share evidence of war crimes. On May 19, the European Parliament and the Council agreed to the proposal.
The Ukrainian General Prosecutor’s Office, 13 EU Member States, and the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Office of the Prosecutor have started investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated in Ukraine.