Council of Europe Secretary-General Alain Berset called the body a "unique, independent international instrument" that should be central to discussions on reparations in any future peace talks.
He said the number of signatories on the first day of a diplomatic conference in The Hague was unprecedented.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the signing of the convention as well as accompanying documents, including a resolution and a final act.
In remarks at the conference, he urged partners to keep pressure on Russia for as long as Ukrainian territory remains occupied and while Ukrainian citizens are held in captivity.
Zelensky said he hoped an international tribunal on the crime of aggression would begin work, called for the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia, and said every Russian crime should carry consequences for those responsible.
Poland was represented at the conference by Deputy Foreign Minister Henryka Mościcka-Dendys.
She said that for Poland, the new body is not an abstract legal step but one rooted in national memory, arguing that the consequences of war must be addressed quickly and decisively.
She added that the damage register has already proved effective in documenting and verifying claims.
The future commission is intended to adjudicate claims already being collected through the Council of Europe’s Register of Damage, created in 2023.
About 85,000 claims have been submitted so far by individuals, state institutions, and organisations, officials said, adding that the register gathers information not only on material losses but also on the death of family members, displacement and physical and psychological harm.
The new commission would be the second stage of the compensation mechanism. Its task would be to assess claims entered in the register and determine the amount of compensation owed by Russia.
Participants acknowledged that turning decisions into payments could take years. Funding remains the biggest challenge, with frozen Russian assets in Europe and elsewhere often cited as a potential source.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the planned commission appeared to be "the most ambitious claims body seen in history, but also one of the hardest to implement."
Russia will never voluntarily pay for the damage it has caused, she said, noting estimates that frozen Russian assets outside Russia total around EUR 260–280 billion.
The convention will enter into force after ratification by 25 signatories and once adequate financing is secured.
Kallas said the EU would provide up to EUR 1 million for preparatory work on the commission.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP