Gov't Greenlights Convention on International Claims Commission for Ukraine

Bratislava/Nitra, 2 September (TASR) - At its away-from-home session held in Nitra on Wednesday, the government approved the signing of the convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine as an independent body to decide claims for compensation of damage caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry recalled that the convention was adopted on 16 December 2025 at a diplomatic conference in The Hague held under the auspices of the Council of Europe. In its explanatory report, the ministry added that the commission's mandate will include evaluating applications, evidence and the extent of damage on a case-by-case basis. "Compensation will mainly cover destroyed infrastructure, civic amenities, industry, private property, etc. Claims can be submitted by states, as well as by natural and legal persons," explained the ministry. The decisions of the claims commission based in The Hague will be final and not subject to appeal. However, the commission will not enforce its decisions through the courts. So far, the convention has been signed by 38 member states of the Council of Europe, the European Union and Canada, while seven member states have already ratified it. The convention will enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after twenty-five signatories have expressed their consent. At the same time, the aggregate individual contributions of these signatories must constitute at least 50 percent of the total budget of the register of damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine for 2025, which equals €3,692,150. jrg