On Friday 6 June, the Presidents of the European Council, António Costa, and the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the EU High Representative, Kaja Kallas, expressed their support for the International Criminal Court (ICC), the day after the United States announced sanctions against four of the Court’s judges.
Magistrates Solomy Balungi Bossa and Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza are behind investigations into alleged war crimes by US soldiers in Afghanistan, and Reine Alapini Gansou and Beti Hohler have authorised the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The ICC does not stand against nations—it stands against impunity. We must protect its independence and integrity. The rule of law must prevail over the rule of power”, explained Mr Costa on X. According to Ms von der Leyen, the ICC “must be free to act without pressure”. “We will always support its vital work and protect its independence”, added Ms Kallas. None of them mentioned the United States in their reactions.
The spokeswoman for the European External Action Service, Anitta Hipper, deeply regretted the imposition of the sanctions. Asked about the possibility of using the blocking statute, which would make it possible to limit the extraterritorial effect of US sanctions against the ICC, the spokeswoman said that, for the time being, the EU was “carefully” monitoring “the implications” of the US decree “before deciding on the next steps”, without specifying what these steps would be. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)