EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION
on the ratification of the Rome treaty to establish the permanent International Criminal Court


The European Parliament,


A. whereas, in July 1998, in Rome, the Statute of a Permanent International Criminal Court was adopted, establishing for the first time a court with international jurisdiction responsible to judge independently those responsible for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity,

B. whereas the Court and its work do not depend on a specific political mandate from the UN Security Council and will be presided over by an Independent Prosecutor,

C. whereas the Court's jurisdiction, although operating in complementarity to national jurisdictions, will be able to judge crimes perpetrated during internal conflicts as well as having the capacity to decide, in controversial cases, the respective spheres of competence,

D. congratulating the six states that have already ratified the ICC Rome Statute and those countries, including the EU Member states and the applicant countries, that are at present carrying out the internal procedures for ratification,

E. whereas for the Court to begin functioning, at least 60 countries must deposit the instruments of ratification at the United Nations,

F. whereas a Preparatory Commission has been mandated by the Rome Conference to finalise the Rules of Procedure and Evidence and the Elements of Crimes by June 2000,


1. Urges the 14 Member States of the EU and the applicant countries that have not yet ratified the ICC Rome Statute to do so as soon as possible;

2. Invites the Council and the Commission to clearly set the goal of the entry into force of the Court's jurisdiction by 31 December 2000, as a priority of the Union's foreign policy, including the negotiation process with all the applicant countries;

3. Asks, therefore, both the Council and the Commission to take firm action in order to persuade those States that have not yet approved the Statute of the Court to accept its obligatory jurisdiction and to do their upmost to ensure that the preparatory commission completes its work by the set deadline of June 2000;

4. Asks the Member states to take action in all the appropriate seats to speed up the execution of the required procedures by the PrepCom;

5. Asks the Council, the Commission and the Member States to support, through voluntary contributions, the trust funds established by the UN General Assembly whose mandate comprises the costs of participation in the work of the PrepCom of the least developed countries and of those developing countries not convered in UNGA resolutions and to support the international campaigns for the effective entry into force of the ICC;

6. Decides that it is politically relevant to send its own parliamentary delegation to the next working session of the preparatory commission, which will finalise the annexes to the Court's Statute shortly in New York and asks parliaments of Member States to send parliamentary observers to the PrepCom;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission, the Parliaments of the Members States, the governments and parliaments of applicant countries, and to the Secretary General of the United Nations.