The Netherlands has formally ratified the Council of Europe convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, to be based in The Hague.
The Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe, Ambassador André Haspels, today deposited the instrument of ratification of the convention at the organisation’s headquarters in Strasbourg, alongside Secretary General Alain Berset.
The Netherlands chaired the negotiations on the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which was opened for signature at a diplomatic conference co-hosted with the Council of Europe in The Hague on 16 December 2025.
Ratification by 25 countries or regional integration organisations is needed for the convention to enter into force, alongside sufficient financial commitments to support the initial work of the claims commission.
As of today, there are 40 signatories to the convention. Nine states, and the European Union, have also ratified it.
The Netherlands is also currently chairing the preparatory committee for the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which was established by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in February 2026 to lay the operational and practical foundations for the claims commission.
The International Claims Commission will be the second part of a comprehensive compensation mechanism for victims of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression.
It will build upon the existing Register of Damage for Ukraine, also based in The Hague, and will operate as an independent administrative body within the framework of the Council of Europe.
Once established, the claims commission will review, assess and decide upon claims recorded in the register and determine the amount of compensation due in each case.
The International Claims Commission will also consider claims received after the register becomes integrated into the claims commission, as foreseen by the convention.
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Find out more about the International Claims Commission for Ukraine
