Secretary General of European Council names main obstacle to launching Special Tribunal for crime of aggression by Russia

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset stated this on Tuesday, answering a question from the Ukrainian delegation at the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, Ukrinform's correspondent reports.

"Some of them [countries] are telling: 'We will join without asking about the budget and the finance.' And others tell us 'We want to join but we will make decisive step once we have a precise idea about the budget," Berset explained. That is why, he added, the Council of Europe urgently needs to have a "clear budget for the next steps."

According to the CoE Secretary General, the upcoming ministerial conference in Chișinău on April 14–15, where this issue will be discussed in detail for the first time, should be decisive for budgetary commitments. At the same time, the Council of Europe itself cannot influence the budget.

"We are not able to define a budget for the tribunal… We are ready. We are not slowing down the rhythm, the opposite is so. But we really need now a commitment from the states - with the budget, with the resources, with finance to make those steps happen," Berset said.

He recalled that an "advance team" is already working in parallel, preparing the first stage of the tribunal's functioning. This work is funded through a voluntary contribution from the European Union. The Netherlands has also taken commitments regarding the initial stage of the project.

As reported, 19 Council of Europe member states, in addition to Ukraine itself, have already joined the initiative to establish the Special Tribunal, as well as Costa Rica.

Strengthening efforts to create the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine will be a key focus of the Ukrainian delegation's work at the PACE spring plenary session in Strasbourg.