‘A foreign attack on EU territory’: MEPs call EU to shield ICC from US sanctions

EU legislators have written to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, urging the bloc's executive to vigorously safeguard the International Criminal Court (ICC) from potential U.S. sanctions, according to POLITICO. Signed by 58 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), the letter, led by ECON Chair and Social Democrat Aurore Lalucq, and Dutch People's Party (EPP) lawmaker Dirk Gotink, demands that the Commission "draw a clear line towards the US administration."

The Trump administration has threatened to dismantle the ICC, with the U.S. already sanctioning several judges, including those from France, Italy, and Slovenia, after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. New sanctions announced on Friday could cut the ICC off from the global financial system, which primarily uses the dollar, and the majority of tech service providers.

Lawmakers described the sanctions as a "foreign power attack on an EU entity, utilizing our own financial system."

The lawmakers want the Commission to activate a legislative measure known as the Blocking Statute, which would prevent EU firms from complying with the U.S. sanctions once a 180-day grace period expires. After a meeting in Luxembourg, foreign affairs ministers agreed to explore practical solutions to enable EU firms to continue working with the court, according to two diplomats.

The MEPs emphasized the urgency of their letter, stating that the survival of the values the European Union upholds, as well as Europe's autonomy and credibility in protecting its citizens and entities from foreign sanctions, is at stake.