LXVIII COSAC Plenary Meeting: consensus on Lithuania’s proposal to establish a Special International Criminal Tribunal

Press release, 15 November 2022 

In the Contribution of the LXVIII COSAC Plenary Meeting, addressed to the European Union institutions, politicians from the parliaments of the EU Member States endorsed the Lithuanian proposal for the establishment of a Special International Criminal Tribunal. Marius Matijošaitis, Head of the Seimas delegation stressed that COSAC also unanimously endorsed Lithuania, Estonia and Poland’s call for recognising the Russian regime as a terrorist one.

Photo by the Conference organizer

The sessions of the Plenary Meeting on 15 November covered the current situation in Ukraine, its reconstruction, migration, as well the European perspective on the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership.

Vytautas Gapšys, Deputy Chair of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs, underlined that Lithuania strongly supported Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. ‘There are no alternatives to Ukraine’s victory. We need to ensure swift and effective EU support to Ukraine, including delivery of weapons, especially air defence systems to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure from attacks, as well as permanent and sustainable financial assistance to help Ukraine survive the winter. It is also important to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure,’ said Mr Gapšys.

Lithuania’s total assistance to Ukraine, including military aid, exceeds EUR 640 million. ‘We firmly believe that Russia must bear the costs of Ukraine’s reconstruction. Therefore, we stress that Russian frozen assets must be used to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure,’ said Mr Gapšys. He emphasised that Lithuania’s proposal was the establishment of a Special International Criminal Tribunal to investigate the crimes of the Russian aggression, since there was currently no alternative international court or tribunal that could hold Russian and Belarusian top political and military leaders accountable. Lithuania also proposed to tighten the sanctions against Russia and Belarus in order to stop Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.

Photo by the Conference organizer

Giedrius Surplys, Member of the Seimas Committee on European Affairs, argued that granting of EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova had not weakened the EU’s enlargement process towards the Western Balkans, but instead had made it more dynamic and summoned attention to these countries. ‘We should see the process of integration of the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries as two interconnected vessels,’ Mr Surplys said. He expressed his hope that the EU would be able to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova as early as next year, and that Georgia would meet all the conditions set by the European Commission to become a candidate country, too. ‘I hope that the Eastern Partnership initiative is not dead, but perhaps is in a state of coma. The people in the remaining Eastern Partnership countries, such as Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan, see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let us not turn this light off.’

Photo by the Conference organizer

COSAC is the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union. Regular COSAC meetings enable the national Parliaments and the European Parliament to exchange information and share best practice. COSAC may submit proposals to the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission. 

The Czech Republic is holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU from 1 July to 31 December 2022.

Aistė Pikiotienė, Adviser, Office of the Committee on European Affairs, tel. +370 5 239 6864