Monaco took over the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on Thursday, as foreign ministers concluded a landmark session in Chișinău that established a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and adopted a raft of new legal instruments on migration, money laundering and foreign interference.
Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Monaco’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, presented the Principality’s priorities for the presidency — which runs from 15th May to 10th November 2026 — after taking over from the Republic of Moldova at the close of the ministerial session.
A tribunal for Ukraine
The session’s most significant outcome was the adoption of a resolution establishing an Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Thirty-six countries — including Monaco — alongside the European Union, Australia and Costa Rica have declared their intention to join the agreement, which will task the tribunal with investigating and prosecuting those who bear the greatest responsibility for the crime of aggression. Ministers also reaffirmed their determination to secure the return of Ukrainian children unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by Russia.
Migration, disinformation and criminal assets
Ministers adopted a declaration reaffirming member states’ commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights in the context of migration, balancing community interests with individual rights, and agreed to continue discussions within the Council of Europe’s Network of Focal Points on Migration.
On disinformation, the Committee of Ministers instructed the Secretary General to submit proposals for a legal instrument — including a possible framework convention — on foreign information manipulation and interference, described as a serious threat to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
A new Additional Protocol to the Warsaw Convention modernises the legal framework for criminal asset recovery, extending authorities’ powers to monitor suspicious transactions and confiscate assets including crypto-assets. The protocol will be opened for signature at a cybercrime conference in Strasbourg on 14th October 2026.
Monaco’s presidency
The Monegasque presidency comes at a pivotal moment for the organisation, with the Council of Europe navigating the ongoing consequences of Russia’s war in Ukraine, rising migration pressures and growing threats to democratic institutions across the continent. Monaco has been a member of the Council of Europe for more than 20 years and assumed the presidency on the same day its information stand opened on Rue Princesse Caroline in the Principality — a public engagement initiative running through 22nd May.
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Photo credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communications Department