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Fifty-eight members of the European Parliament have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urging her to deploy every available tool to protect the International Criminal Court from US sanctions, according to a letter seen by Politico. The appeal was led by Aurore Lalucq, chair of the Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, and Dutch lawmaker Dirk Gotink of the European People's Party group.

Sent ahead of an EU summit scheduled for October 15-16 in Brussels, the letter describes the US measures as an attack by a foreign power on an institution on EU soil, carried out through the bloc's own financial system. The signatories called for the EU's so-called Blocking Statute to be activated so that European companies would not have to comply with the American sanctions, and asked that this protection take effect when the 180-day transition period ends.

The appeal follows Washington's decision to impose sanctions on the ICC after former ICC judge Navi Pillay of South Africa received what was described as the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States would not allow Americans to be prosecuted by the court, warning that the ICC must stop its threats or be dismantled. The court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, and Washington sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors, including court president Tomoko Akane, in August.

Key Takeaways

• 58 EU lawmakers urged Commission chief von der Leyen to use all tools to shield the ICC from US sanctions
• The letter demands activation of the EU Blocking Statute before the 180-day transition period expires
• Washington sanctioned ICC officials after the court issued warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024