Kallas buys time on EU response to US sanctions against the ICC
European lawmakers have been pushing the EU executive to take swift action over U.S. sanctions against the Hague-based court.
European Union's chief diplomat Kaja Kallas announced on Tuesday that the bloc will take months to develop a strategy to counter the United States' sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC). Nearly 60 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) demanded swift action following the White House's announcement of sanctions earlier in the month.
These lawmakers sought the Commission to utilize the blocking statute, which would prevent EU firms from complying with U.S. sanctions. Kallas urged firms not to overcompensate with sanctions. Kallas stated that the EU would analyze the legal implications, open dialogue, and search for solutions. The sanctions will begin 180 days after October 9, targeting the ICC's nine judges and chief prosecutor, cutting them off from U.S. service providers.
The U.S. administration has openly targeted the ICC, urging countries to withdraw from the court's founding charter. Kallas expressed concern that the withdrawal of nine African nations from the ICC could undermine global justice, citing the Court's investigations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. She emphasized that the EU will continue to engage with partners to strengthen the court and warned countries pressured by the U.S. to leave the ICC that their relationship with the European Union would suffer.
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