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Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

President Zelenskyy,
Prime Minister Schoof,
President Sandu,
Ministers, Delegates,
 

It is a great pleasure and a great honour for me to open this conference with you this morning.

It is also a great pleasure – and a great honour – to do so here in the Netherlands.

Thank you very much for the strong partnership.

***

On a February morning almost four years ago, Russia chose war.

A war of aggression.

Ukraine did not choose this war.

But every day since, Ukraine has chosen to defend itself.

And its right to a European future.

Our responsibility is to defend that right.

With weapons where needed.

With justice and values where it counts.

***

The Council of Europe Convention that opens for signature today is justice.

Justice for the children taken and deported.

For lives marked by injury and trauma.

And for those who will never return.

***

Mr President,

Last June in Strasbourg, at the headquarters of the Council of Europe, you said:

“Justice takes time, but it must happen.”

***

The Council of Europe wasted no time.

In 2023, we created the Register of Damage for Ukraine.

Forty-four states and the European Union have joined.

More than eighty-five thousand claims have already been submitted.

***

From recording losses to deciding claims, we have chosen the fastest and most realistic path.

A path leading to a Claims Commission developed within the Council of Europe framework.

A unique, international, independent tool, which should be central when addressing reparations in peace talks.

***

Today, here in The Hague, thirty-five countries will sign the Convention establishing the Claims Commission.

This is unprecedented for a convention on its first day.

I hope that others will follow.

This Convention is open to every state, all around the world, on an equal footing.

Together, they send a clear message:

Every loss must be recorded — every loss repaired.

***

Accountability is also the work of the European Court of Human Rights, an institution of the Council of Europe.

Last July, the Court held Russia accountable for widespread abuses in Ukraine since 2014 — a judgment that will shape international justice for years to come.

We also see accountability in the ongoing work to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

***

Accountability cannot be a footnote to peace talks.

It is a central aspect of any peace plan.

But it is not the only one.

Elections. Children. Minority languages.

A functional post-war judicial system. A robust anti-corruption framework in support of investment and reconstruction.

These are all areas covered by the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Ukraine.

These are areas where Ukraine can give solid guarantees to its partners, including on its path to European Union accession.

***

The Council of Europe has no drones — no  missiles.

But it has the force of the law.

International law that applies to all.

No exceptions.

No double standards.

***

Our task is clear:

To record the truth.

To provide redress.

And to hold those responsible to account.

***

Justice takes time, but it must happen.

And the International Claims Commission for Ukraine leads the way.

On behalf of the Council of Europe, and in the name of all those who have worked on this Convention, I thank you all for your strong presence today, which underlines the importance of this moment.

Thank you.