European institutions and war crimes: the (un)accountable ones. European discipline, comprehensive investigation of the Russo Ukrainian conflict, and future scenarios of European warfare

Abstract

This research aims to find other – and innovative – solutions to improve the responsibility and the controlling mechanisms of European Institutions dealing with war crimes. Particularly, we present a new scenario in which they will have more power in order to create a deterrent for wars to begin. We will deal with the problem of war crimes while explaining the fundamental role, for the international community, of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. Also, we analyse the war crimes that were committed nowadays in the European arena, and we examine the role of the European Institutions and the means and methods at their disposal to prosecute those who have committed international violations. Therefore, we investigate the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the case study of this dissertation, showing the involvement of the European Community and the bilateral relations that occur between the most powerful states in Europe and the countries involved in the conflict. The purpose of this master’s thesis is to stimulate a critical approach in the readers and let them question if creating a stronger, independent ‘European block’ could represent a new strategy for preventing war crimes in an international system where wars are different from the past. Finally, we will consider how much the Rule of Law and the Democracies are threatened by these new frontiers of warfare in the European scenario.