The EU warned sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) threaten its independence and the wider judicial system, after US President Donald Trump punished the court over its probes into America and Israel, AFP reports.
“Sanctioning the ICC threatens the Court’s independence and undermines the international criminal justice system as a whole,” Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the EU’s 27 member states, wrote on X.
The European Commission separately expressed “regret” regarding Trump’s sanctions, stressing the ICC’s “key importance in upholding international criminal justice and the fight against impunity”.
The executive order risks “affecting ongoing investigations and proceedings, including as regards Ukraine, impacting years of efforts to ensure accountability around the world”, said a commission spokesman.
“The EU will be monitoring the implications of the executive order and will assess possible further steps,” added the spokesman for the bloc’s executive.
