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Government approves bill for Estonia to join the management committee of the Council of Europe's special tribunal for the crime of aggression

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

06.11.2025 | 12:50

Today, 6 November, the Government of the Republic approved the bill on the Council of Europe's Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. With this decision, Estonia expresses its readiness to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA), which aims to create a mechanism for the administration and financing of the special tribunal. This step reaffirms Estonia's firm commitment to contribute to the establishment, functioning, and funding of the tribunal. The next step is for the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) to approve the agreement.

According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, the establishment and swift launch of the special tribunal is a crucial step in holding Russia accountable and preventing a culture of impunity. "Russia has brutally violated the norms of international law through its aggression in Ukraine," said Tsahkna. "It is our shared duty to ensure that all international crimes committed during Russia's war of aggression, including the crime of aggression itself, do not go unpunished. That is why we must move quickly to make the special tribunal operational. Estonia is also prepared to provide financial support to the tribunal that would function under the auspices of the Council of Europe."

The special tribunal for the crime of aggression will be an international, independent court established through an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine. Its purpose is to investigate and prosecute those individuals most responsible for the crime of aggression. In June of this year, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement to establish a special tribunal. The tribunal will complement the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Ukraine. The special tribunal will focus specifically on the crime of aggression.

The next step is for the Council of Europe to adopt a resolution confirming the Enlarged Partial Agreement. This will establish the tribunal's Register and its funding mechanism, which will govern the administrative functioning of the tribunal, including the approval of its budget. The Enlarged Partial Agreement is also open to non-member states of the Council of Europe and to the European Union.