2023-05-17 12:38:00
The register is seen as the first step towards possible compensation payments to Ukraine. But not all states participate.
The Council of Europe sets up a damage register for war damage in Ukraine. In total, 40 of the 46 countries of the Council of Europe have agreed to join or to join in the future. Turkey, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Serbia will not participate for the time being. Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen described the establishment of the register as an “essential step”.
“Nor should we stand idly by when children from Ukraine are illegally abducted, deported and forcibly adopted to Russia. The law must defeat lawlessness,” stressed the Federal President, according to the text of the speech.
Hold Russia accountable
The EU and Canada, Japan and the USA will also be there, as the Council of Europe announced in Reykjavik on Wednesday. The damage register is intended to document the destruction in Ukraine attacked by Russia so that Russia can be held accountable.
The register is seen as the first step towards possible compensation payments to Ukraine. The idea goes back, among other things, to a resolution of the United Nations and is now to be implemented under the umbrella of the Council of Europe. Exactly how this is to be implemented is currently unclear.
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, described the decision to register as “historic”. It is one of the first legally binding instruments to hold Russia accountable for its actions.
Council of Europe as guardian of human rights
Germany wants to provide more financial support to the Council of Europe. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced on Wednesday in Reykjavik that ten million euros would be added to the obligatory German contribution to the organization. “We will strengthen the Council of Europe as the guardian of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe so that it can effectively meet current and future challenges,” said the SPD politician at the Council of Europe summit in the Icelandic capital. The Council of Europe also needs support when it comes to artificial intelligence or protecting the environment.
The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to protect democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe. It is independent from the European Union. It also includes significantly more countries than the EU – almost all European countries. Ukraine has been a member since 1995. Russia was excluded after the invasion of Ukraine, Belarus is suspended and only attends the summit as an observer.
(APA/dpa)
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