At the international conference held on December 16, a decision was made to establish the International Claims Commission for Ukraine. This was reported by European media, including information about the new body.
This commission, created under the Council of Europe, will perform an important function in the mechanism for compensating damages caused by military actions on the territory of Ukraine. The conference was attended by representatives of European states as well as international organizations, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
The new structure will analyze and make decisions on claims for compensation of various categories. It forms the second part of the reparations mechanism: the first stage was the Registry of Damages for Ukraine, and the third is the planned establishment of a compensation fund.
The Registry of Damages began functioning in April 2024, and according to the organizers, more than 80,000 applications from individuals and organizations have already been registered. It covers more than 40 categories of damage, including loss of property, bodily injury, and forced displacement, as well as other consequences of military actions.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra stated that the new commission will be based in The Hague, emphasizing that issues of accountability and compensation play a key role in the conflict resolution process.
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić added that issues of accountability, compensation, and recovery should be part of future peace negotiations. She noted that the Registry of Damages and the International Commission will be independent international mechanisms dealing with compensation issues.
The Registry of Damages was established under the auspices of the Council of Europe in May 2023, with the participation of 44 states and the European Union. The World Bank previously estimated the cost of rebuilding Ukraine over the next ten years at $524 billion (approximately €447 billion).
