EU weighs invoking blocking statute to counter US sanctions on the ICC

Washington recently slapped broad sanctions on the International Criminal Court, freezing assets of judges and limiting access to US banking and internet services. Ahead of a Luxembourg meeting of EU foreign ministers, the bloc is considering triggering its blocking statute, a mechanism designed to shield European companies from extraterritorial US sanctions by declaring such measures invalid under EU law. The European Commission would initiate the action, after which the European Parliament and member states could raise objections within a two-month window.

Proponents, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Slovenia, view the statute as a safeguard for the ICC and European democratic values, whereas others fear legal reprisals and market repercussions. Past uses of the tool have been rare and operationally complex, raising questions about its effectiveness in this case.