Brussels, 18/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - MEPs have highlighted the need for greater support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) both through political and diplomatic action and also financially and logistically. In passing the report by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler, EU support for the ICC: facing challenges and overcoming difficulties, by a wide majority on Thursday 17 November, MEPs called on member states and the EU to cooperate more with the ICC, agreeing to its requests. Parliament wants the EU and member states, through diplomatic moves at the UN Security Council, to assist the ICC's pursuit of citizens of countries which are not parties to the ICC statute, such as Iran, Bahrain, Yemen and Syria. It would also like more systematic inclusion of ICC clauses in negotiating mandates and agreements with third countries, and the ICC to be mainstreamed across the EU's foreign policy priorities.
The EP also says the scope of the ICC has to be extended beyond situations of armed conflict and for it to be able “more proactively, to investigate human rights emergencies that escalate to the level of crimes against humanity” and situations where domestic authorities are demonstrably unwilling to investigate, prosecute and punish alleged offenders.
MEPs strongly backed ICC efforts to extend and strengthen its presence on the ground and called for the assistance of the EU and member states. They called on the EU and member states to continue to provide adequate funding for the ICC. (CG/transl.rt)