Helping Ukraine to bring the war criminals to account

October 26, 2023.

    EEAS hosts the launch of the Ukraine Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) Multi-National Fund.
    
    On Monday 16 October, the EEAS hosted the launch of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) Multi-National Fund in the presence of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin .
    
    The Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) is an initiative established by the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom in May 2022 to enhance coordination of efforts to further accountability for atrocity crimes in the context of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. ACA Founding Partners, the U.S. Department of State, the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and the European External Action Service provide strategic advice and operational assistance to Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General in the investigation and prosecution of atrocity crimes in Ukraine through the work of their respective Implementing Entities. The ACA aims to streamline international efforts to deploy resources and skilled personnel to respond to the needs of the Prosecutor General as the legally constituted authority in Ukraine responsible for the prosecution of war crimes in its own territory.
    
    EEAS Deputy Secretary General Enrique Mora and Ukraine Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin
    The new Multi-National Fund will secure the ACA’s longevity for Ukraine and enable broader international participation. The Fund arrangement foresees that donors will make their contributions via the US Department of State. The proceeds will be disbursed in consultation with the Donor Steering Committee and Executive Committee that are composed of representatives of the donors and the Founding Partners and meet regularly. The goal is to expand the number of states, and their geographic representation, that are participating in the ACA in order to broaden the national expertise and legal traditions that can be brought to bear to support Ukrainian justice efforts.
    
    EEAS Deputy Secretary General and Political Director Enrique Mora said: ‘The images from Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Marinka, and Hroza are impossible to ignore. To me, these images are a testimony of pure evil. As Europeans, it is our responsibility to help you help Ukraine, Europe, and the world as a whole to keep that testimony alive. By doing so, and by ensuring that those responsible are held to account, we do not only honour the memories of the fallen, but also help you bringing justice in their names. We will help you doing so as for as long as it takes.
    
    To hold Russian decision-makers accountable for their unprovoked and illegal invasion, the EU is actively discussing the potential for a Special International/Multilateral Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. To advance this process, the European Commission President announced the set-up of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA) at the EU-Ukraine Summit in February 2023. Once fully operational, ICPA will store and analyse evidence of the crime of aggression for future trials, whether national or international, and is considered by Ukraine as “a real legal step towards the establishment of a Special Tribunal…”. Staff from the EU’s civilian mission in Ukraine - which advises Ukraine on civilian aspects of the security sector , EUAM Ukraine - will soon be put at the disposal of the ICPA in The Hague, where they will bring their expertise to assist Ukrainian prosecutors.