Overview
- The European Commission adopted a proposal to begin the EU’s accession as a founding member of a Special Tribunal focused on Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.
- Sweden confirmed Wednesday on X that it intends to join the agreement as a founding member, in a move its foreign minister framed as a step toward accountability.
- EU governments must approve the Commission’s proposal before Brussels can formally notify the tribunal and take a seat on its Management Committee.
- The tribunal, set within the Council of Europe framework, will prosecute senior political and military leaders for the crime of aggression, using legal texts an international coalition endorsed on May 9, 2025.
- The Commission has supported preparations through the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression and €10 million for the tribunal’s Advance Team, while Council of Europe chief Alain Berset says the start still hinges on more states’ political will.