Netherlands ratifies Council of Europe treaty to create International Claims Commission for Ukraine

The Netherlands has formally ratified the Council of Europe Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, depositing the instrument in Strasbourg before Council Secretary General Alain Berset. Ambassador André Haspels acted on behalf of the Dutch government, underscoring the Netherlands’ pivotal role in drafting the treaty and its current chairmanship of the Preparatory Committee created in February 2026.

The Convention will enter into force once 25 states ratify it; to date, 40 have signed and nine states together with the European Union have ratified. The Commission, to be located in The Hague, will work in tandem with the existing Register of Damage for Ukraine, also based in The Hague. It will evaluate and decide on individual compensation claims stemming from the Russian Federation’s war, including those added to the Register after the Commission becomes operational. This mechanism forms the second pillar of a broader compensation scheme for Ukrainian victims.