News

On 20-28 November in The Hague, the Netherlands, the Lithuanian delegation led by the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas is participating in the annual session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

At the 12th annual session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute this year, the delegation of Lithuania’s Presidency of the EU Council plays an important role in EU coordination – presents EU’s well-coordinated position on items on the agenda of the session. The session will consider the next year’s budget, reports on the activities of the Bureau, the activities of the Court, the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims and the audit will be presented, issues related to permanent premises, the independent review mechanism, and victims will be discussed along with amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Evidence, and the Rome Statute as well as other issues.

At the general debate on 20 November, the head of the Lithuanian delegation A.Krivas spoke on behalf of the European Union and its member states stressing the vital role of the International Criminal Court, as well as the role of national jurisdictions in punishing the crimes listed in the Rome Statute and in restoring justice for victims of these crimes.

The EU common position on the International Criminal Court is coordinated by a special working of the Council of the European Union, which is currently chaired by a representative from the Foreign Ministry’s Law and International Treaties Department of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council. Lithuania’s EU Presidency aims to pursue the EU’s active policy, the objective of which is to support the independent and effective functioning of the Court and efforts of the EU member states to contribute to the objective by accession to the Rome Statute and proper implementation of the Statute whenever appropriate.

The European Union and its member states are among the most active supporters of the Court since the Rome Statute entered into force in 2002 and the Court became fully functional. Today, 122 countries, including Lithuania, are parties to this Statute. Lithuania became a party to the Rome Statute on 1 August 2003.