EU Presidency closing statement at 4th session of Assembly of States Parties to ICC

Mr President,

I would like to make a short statement on behalf of the European Union.

I would like to begin by recalling the statement which I had the honour to make on behalf of the European Union at the beginning of this year's Assembly of States Parties. I said then that the EU was looking forward to tackling the agenda of the ASP. Well, Mr President, we have all had to work hard this week. And I would particularly like to thank you, Mr President, for the exemplary way in which you have conducted business at your first ASP. I would also like to congratulate all Chairs of working groups for their efficiency and friendliness.

Mr President, we have reached conclusions on the establishment of the New York Liaison Office, and on the Victims Trust Fund and Code of Conduct for Counsel after hard work by the inter-sessional working groups. Mr President, we are pleased that the Victims Trust Fund regulations will be adopted so that the Fund can now become fully active for the benefit of Victims. The Code of Conduct will ensure an ethical framework for defence counsel. The budget has been agreed on a basis which is satisfactory to all. A number of important issues have been dealt with in the Omnibus and related resolutions. And we have agreed a roadmap for future work on the definition of the Crime of Aggression which will we hope lead to a generally accepted solution.

We have also continued consideration of the issue of permanent premises for the Court, and we appreciate the important statement made by the representatives of the host State yesterday morning. So, we look back on the week with satisfaction.

In my earlier statement I said that this had been a remarkable year for the Court. It is perhaps easy to overlook how significant an achievement it has been to secure 100 ratifications of the Rome Statute in such a short period. This year has also seen the first referral by the Security Council and the issue of the first arrest warrants. Truly therefore we can say that the Court is up and running.

It is perhaps worth setting out the vision which the EU has for the Court. The independence of the Prosecutor and, of course, of the Judges is an essential element in the operation of the Court. We are very pleased to note that the Prosecutor and the Judges are aware of the importance of this. It is furthermore the duty of all States Parties to ensure that this independence is respected. We also look with confidence to the Registrar and his staff to continue to ensure that the contributions which the States make to the Court are properly and efficiently spent.

But Mr President, it is not the case that States Parties can simply sit back and let the Court get on with it. On the contrary, all States Parties are under an obligation to cooperate with the Court in the accomplishment of its important tasks. And the important principle of complementarity places serious responsibilities upon States Parties. We also look forward to the conclusion of further agreements between States Parties and the Court on such essential matters as information-cooperation, witness relocation and sentence enforcement. Furthermore, it is important that State Parties pay their assessed contributions in full and on time.

Mr President, in a very short period of time the Court has become an established part of the structure of the international community. That in itself must give us very considerable cause for optimism that impunity will in due course become a thing of the past.

Mr President, I again thank you, Chairs of working groups, all those who have worked hard to ensure the efficient operation of the ASP, including the interpreters and the staff of the Director of the ASP. We look forward to the next year of the Court's operation with great optimism.

The acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania, the candidate countries Turkey and Croatia*, the countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, EFTA countries Iceland and Norway members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this statement.


* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process

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• EU Presidency Statement - Report of the ICC (9/10/2006)
• International Criminal Court Cooperation and Assistance Agreement (10/4/2006)
• EU Presidency Statement - Report of International Criminal Court (8/11/2005)
• EU Presidency Declaration on Mexico's ratification of Rome Statute (7/11/2005)
• EUHR Solana welcomes first ICC arrest warrants (14/10/2005)
• Speech by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner on 'The ICC, Transatlantic Relations and Co-operation with Third Parties to Promote the Rule of Law' (14/4/2005)
• EP - Terrorists to be judged by the International Criminal Court? (17/3/2005)