EU lawmakers in a letter sent to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called on the institution to firmly defend the International Criminal Court (ICC) against US sanctions. The letter was published on Tuesday and signed by 58 Members of the European Parliament, led by Euro Lallok, Chair of the Economic Committee and representative of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, and Dirk Goutink, representative of the European People's Party from the Netherlands.
Content of the letter and US threats
The letter states: "We formally call for the immediate use of all available tools to protect the International Criminal Court against the consequences of these sanctions." This request comes amid threats from the previous US administration to "destroy the ICC brick by brick." The United States has previously sanctioned several judges, including judges from France, Italy, and Slovenia, for issuing an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.
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Consequences of new sanctions
The new US sanctions announced on Friday could lead to the complete cutoff of the ICC's access to the global financial system reliant on the dollar and also jeopardize the institution's access to most technology service providers. EU lawmakers described these sanctions in their letter as "an attack by a foreign power on an institution within the territory of the European Union" and called on the Commission to activate a law known as the "Blocking Statute," which would prevent European companies from complying with US sanctions.
Response from European foreign ministers
After a meeting in Luxembourg, European foreign ministers agreed to seek practical solutions for continued cooperation of European companies with the International Criminal Court. Two diplomats from this meeting stated that Members of the European Parliament have called for a stronger response.
The letter from the Members of the European Parliament states: "The survival of the values that the European Union adheres to is at risk, and the autonomy and credibility of Europe in protecting its citizens and institutions against foreign sanctions is compromised." They emphasized that this issue pertains to the survival of the EU itself.
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