Human rights
May 6/05/99

B4-0466, 0469, 0476, 0483, 0498 and 0501/99

Resolution on the ratification of the Statute of the International
Criminal Court

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its earlier resolutions on the International
Criminal Court,

A.  whereas on 18 July 1998 the Rome Diplomatic Conference adopted the
Statute of the Permanent International Criminal Court,

B.  whereas the establishment of the International Criminal Court
requires the Statute to be ratified by at least 60 countries,

C.  whereas to date 82 countries have signed the Statute but only three
countries - Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago and San Marino - have also
ratified it,

D.  whereas it is of the greatest importance for the establishment of an
effective, safe international court of law for the International
Criminal Court to be instituted and for it to become operational as
early as possible and, at any event, by the end of the year 2000,

E.  having warmly welcomed the statements made by the German Presidency
to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva expressing
the Union's wish for strong commitment to ratification and the rapid
establishment of the International Criminal Court,

F.  whereas in some of the Union's Member States, particularly Italy,
France, Belgium and Finland, substantial progress has already been made
in the process of ratifying the Statute of the International Criminal
Court, although to date none of the EU Member States has ratified the
Statute,



1.   Congratulates the Governments and Parliaments of Senegal, Trinidad
and Tobago and San Marino on already having ratified the Statute of the
International Criminal Court;

2.   Reiterates its urgent call to the Governments and Parliaments of
the Member States to make every possible effort to ratify the Statute of
the International Criminal Court;

3.   Recommends the Member States not to make use of the 'opt out'
(Article 124) whereby they may exclude war crimes from the jurisdiction
of the Court for an interim period of seven years;

4.   Urges the Council to take all necessary steps to ensure that the
Parliaments of the Union's 15 Member States are able to ratify the
Statute of the International Criminal Court as soon as possible;

5.   Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to
promote early ratification of the Statute by each of the applicant
states;

6.   Calls on the Council and the Commission to make signing and/or
ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court an
essential negotiating point in concluding future agreements with third
countries;

7.   Calls on the Council and the Commission to do everything in their
power to ensure that third countries which are linked to the Union by
Association or Cooperation Agreements sign and/or ratify the Statute;

8.   Calls on the Council and the Commission to make ratification of the
Statute of the International Criminal Court by at least 60 countries by
the end of the year 2000 a political objective of the Union and calls on
the Council to ensure that this objective is discussed at the
forthcoming Cologne European Council on 3 and 4 June, so that the Union
can assume an active, determining role at the Preparatory Committees in
July and next autumn;

9.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council,
the Commission, the Member State Parliaments and the UN Secretary-General.

This document is published online by Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights