Olli Rehn
EU Commissioner for Enlargement
Commission's full support to the International Criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
European Parliament Plenary Meeting
Strasbourg, 11 March 2009
Reference: SPEECH/09/111 Date: 11/03/2009

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SPEECH/09/111












Olli Rehn

EU Commissioner for Enlargement




Commission's full support to the International Criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)






















European Parliament Plenary Meeting
Strasbourg, 11 March 2009

I welcome Ms Neyts' initiative and report, which send a welcome signal about the European Parliament's commitment to support the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – the ICTY.

For the Commission it is clear: the international community must maintain its full support for the ICTY to complete its remaining tasks. There can be no impunity for war crimes.

Full cooperation with ICTY is a condition for progress in European integration. We saw the effects of this conditionality in Serbia, and we have seen it in Croatia in the past. I hope Croatia will stay on the right path of full cooperation in the future. This principle also includes the handling of war crimes cases referred back to domestic jurisdiction by the ICTY. We are intensifying our financial support and capacity building efforts in this field, notably in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has – by far – the largest case load.

The Commission has recently approved funding for a project initiated by Chief Prosecutor Brammertz on internships in his Office to train visiting war crime prosecutors and young professionals from South East Europe. We are also working with Chief Prosecutor Brammertz on other projects, including to a regional conference for war crime prosecutors from the Western Balkans in early April.

The Commission remains fully committed to ICTY and continues to support Mr Brammertz and his dedicated colleagues to bring to justice those responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law and, thus, contribute to reconciliation and the maintenance of peace in the Western Balkans.
Source: EU Commission