BRUSSELS, October 19, 2026 (WAFA) – The European Commission indicated on Monday that the EU was weighing activating Blocking Statute to protect the ICC against US sanctions, according to the Spanish daily newspaper Demócrata and Anadolu Agency.
Speaking at a midday briefing in Brussels, EU spokesperson Siobhan McGarry stated that the instrument designed to counteract the effects of sanctions imposed by third countries within the community territory, remains "on the table" as a possible way to protect senior officials of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against US punitive measures.
She added that the EU had been in contact with member states over the potential activation of the statute following Washington's announcement of sanctions against the ICC.
McGarry noted that preparatory work was underway to assess possible measures to safeguard the ICC’s operations, but stressed that no decision had been made on whether or when to activate the statute.
“The blocking statute still remains on the table,” she said.
"Obviously, we want to do what we can to protect the court's work and, for now, we are in contact with several of the states party to the court to see what practical measures we can implement in case the sanctions move forward," the spokesperson noted.
“We have no definitive date or time for the activation, or we won't prejudge whether we will activate it. We're obviously still hoping that we can find a more optimal outcome to allow the court to continue its vital work,” she added.
On October 9, the US announced sanctions on the ICC, vowing to cripple its operations just hours after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navi Pillay, the eminent South African jurist and one of the ICC's founding judges.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would ban transactions with what he described as a “rogue court”, escalating President Donald Trump’s administration’s campaign against the Hague-based tribunal.
“Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC,” Rubio said in a statement.
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