EU to join Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine as founding member

On 26 March, the European Commission adopted a proposal initiating the process for the European Union to become a founding member of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Once Member States approve this proposal, the Commission will be able to notify the EU’s intention to join the Tribunal as a founding member. The EU will then play a central role in the Tribunal’s operations, including as a member of the Management Committee that will govern the Special Tribunal.

The Special Tribunal will have the mandate to prosecute senior political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. It is being set up within the framework of the Council of Europe, following the signature on 25 June 2025 of an agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on the establishment of the Special Tribunal.

“Justice for the victims of aggression is the best route to lasting peace,” said EU High Representative Kaja Kallas. “The pursuit of justice is equally a deterrent for would-be aggressors. At a time when international law is under historical pressure, the right response is more accountability, not less. Setting up the legal process – as we are now doing for Ukraine – takes time, effort and the widest possible international support, but it is worth it.”

Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, added: “We reaffirm that there can be no just peace without accountability. This is a decisive step towards establishing the Special Tribunal and ensuring that those responsible for Russia’s crime of aggression are held to account.”

The EU has played a leading role in drafting the founding legal texts of the Special Tribunal, which were politically endorsed by an international coalition of States and international organisations on 9 May 2025. The Commission also supports accountability for the crime of aggression through the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and a €10 million contribution to the Special Tribunal Advance Team to prepare its operational set-up.

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Press release