ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the principles of peace and justice in EU foreign policy, and the influence of universal norms on them. The International Criminal Court, established in 2002 to bring to justice the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, is a dynamic system. It has an unusual characteristic for an international institution, but one that is critical in examining any actor's role in supporting it and it is a court of last resort, and so is intended not to be used prosecutions should, rather, happen at the national level. In 2009 the Council announced a limited role for EU institutions to facilitate member state's approaches to dealing with crimes committed in their own pasts, including those perpetrated by totalitarian regimes. The Council stated that 'in the interests of reconciliation, the memory of those crimes must be a collective memory, shared and promoted, where possible, by us all'.
