On the eve of the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stressed on Thursday 16 July the EU's firm opposition to “all attempts to undermine the international system of criminal justice by hindering the work of its core institutions”.
The US President, whose country has signed but not ratified the Rome Statute, decided on 11 June to authorise economic sanctions against ICC officials who would attack US military personnel (see EUROPE 12504/30).
In his statement on behalf of the EU, Mr Borrell warned that the EU was “committed to protecting the integrity of the Rome Statute and the judicial independence of the Court”, reiterating its support for the Court.
He reiterated the EU's willingness to remain a “driving force” to strengthen support for international criminal justice and the ICC in particular, “as a key actor in the fight against impunity and as part of the EU's wider commitment to the rules-based international order”.
The EU calls on the 123 States Parties to the Rome Statute to continue standing by the collective commitment to respect for and enforcement of international justice. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)