Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has set out the main priorities of the new action plan, “Democratic Security for Ukraine”.
The document is intended to strengthen the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, the protection of human rights, and to support reforms as the country moves towards EU membership, Ukrinform reports.
The programme is built around four main pillars: accountability for war crimes, social inclusion, strengthening democratic institutions, and judicial independence.
According to Berset, the first pillar provides for investigating Russian crimes and holding those responsible to account. The second covers protecting women and minorities, supporting veterans, and the return of abducted Ukrainian children. The third focuses on strengthening local self-government and information resilience, while the fourth centres on tackling corruption and judicial reform.
All work will be based on Council of Europe conventions and European Court of Human Rights rulings. In addition, Berset noted the importance of mechanisms already in place to punish the aggressor — the Register of Damage, the future Compensation Commission, and the Special Tribunal.