Europe Declares Support for International Criminal Court, Fears Loss of Court Would Undermine International Order
BRUSSELS — Europe has made clear its support for the International Criminal Court, in response to the U.S. move to impose sanctions against ICC President Tomoko Akane. Europe increasingly fears that if the United States succeeds in dismantling the ICC, the international order based on the rule of law will be fundamentally undermined.
EU reaffirms backing for International Criminal Court amid U.S. sanctions threat
Europe has firmly expressed its support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in response to the United States' decision to sanction its president, Tomoko Akane. This move by Washington has raised concerns among European officials who fear that dismantling the ICC would seriously undermine the global order based on the rule of law.
Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen expressed his disapproval of the sanctions against ICC officials and staff, while Kaja Kallas, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, reaffirmed the EU's unwavering commitment to the Court. The sanctions impose asset freezes and prohibit individuals subject to them from using U.S. credit cards and services like Google and Amazon.
The sanctions have already proven problematic for several ICC judges, who have been unable to make reservations or conduct international money transfers due to their involvement with U.S.-based payment processors. In some cases, non-U.S. banks have voluntarily restricted their operations with sanctioned individuals.
Some EU officials have proposed the introduction of blocking statutes to prevent the enforcement of sanctions within the EU. However, concerns have been raised that taking a confrontational stance against the U.S. could inadvertently lead to sanctions against the ICC itself. Despite U.S. calls for member states to withdraw from the organization, only Venezuela and Chad have complied thus far.
According to ICC officials, there are currently no indications that other countries will follow suit in leaving the ICC, and member states continue to contribute their assessed payments.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
