The European Justice Ministers reaffirmed their support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its judges, who have been targeted by US sanctions, at the Justice Council on Friday 6 March.
During the meeting, two ICC judges, Slovenia’s Beti Hohler and France’s Nicolas Guillou (see EUROPE 13810/18), told the Ministers about the day-to-day impact of these measures on their work and personal lives.
The European Commissioner for Justice, Michael McGrath, described the stories as “very powerful”, clearly showing the repercussions of the sanctions “on their daily lives, their activities and the services they work with”.
The US measures follow a presidential decree signed in February and include a ban on entry into the United States, the freezing of assets and a ban on any US entity providing services to the targeted individuals. While many of the financial and digital infrastructures used within the European Union are dependent on the United States, these restrictions may also have an impact on access to certain services within the internal market itself.
The European Commission therefore states that it is working with the Member States and the European External Action Service to support the ICC.
“No judge should ever be exposed to these sanctions simply for doing their job”, said Michael McGrath, who reaffirmed that the Commission “ardently defends the independence” of the ICC.
According to the Commissioner, the EU has already provided practical and financial support to the ICC to enable it to continue its activities. “We will use all the tools at our disposal to secure and guarantee the Court’s work”, he said.
He also mentioned diplomatic support at European level. The Cypriot Deputy Minister for Migration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides, who chaired the Council, said that the Member States had “reiterated their support” for the ICC and its representatives.
In addition, any European responses to these sanctions fall within the remit of the ‘Foreign Affairs’ Council. A dedicated Council working group is continuing to examine the issue, according to Nicholas Ioannides. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)