EU Parliament urges blocking US sanctions against International Criminal Court

September 29, 2026 at 05:15 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

European Parliament lawmakers called on the European Commission to activate a blocking statute against US sanctions targeting the International Criminal Court. The appeal follows US measures against nine ICC judges and four prosecutors after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the ICC on Monday, signaling support for the court.

Key Facts

US sanctions target nine ICC judges and four prosecutors, including court president Tomoko Akane of Japan.
Dutch MEP Dirk Gotink said European banks automatically apply US sanctions, blocking accounts within hours.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the ICC on Monday, and Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the blocking statute a 'nuclear option'.
French judge Nicolas Guillou, one of 13 ICC officials under US sanctions, said Europe must decide whether it will uphold the rule of law in the 21st century.

The Appeal

European Parliament lawmakers urged the European Commission to activate a blocking statute and prohibit European companies and banks from complying with possible US sanctions against the International Criminal Court. The appeal was reported by Politico and relayed by Tengrinews.kz. Dutch MEP Dirk Gotink said the automatic application of US sanctions 'stems from the times when we considered Americans our friends'. Gotink added that European banks block accounts within an hour or two without question, and that Europe must stop automatically following State Department instructions.

US Sanctions

The United States has targeted nine judges and four prosecutors of the ICC after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lawmakers said the American measures could paralyze ICC operations, from salary payments and access to IT services to detention. French judge Nicolas Guillou, one of 13 ICC officials already under US sanctions, said Europe is 'between terrorists from Al-Qaeda and ISIS, and the same list includes kleptocrats and international drug traffickers'. The US State Department has said the sanctions are imposed 'in response to the ongoing threat from the ICC to Americans and Israelis'.

European Support

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the ICC on Monday, demonstrating support for the court. At a joint press conference, Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen called the blocking statute a 'nuclear option', according to AP. A growing number of European politicians are defending the ICC, which includes representatives from 125 countries, according to the lawmakers.