SpanishPrime MinisterPedro Sánchezwroteto European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 6, 2026, calling on Brussels to activate the EU’s Blocking Statute to shield theInternational Criminal Court(ICC) and the United Nations from U.S. sanctions.
“Sanctioning those who defend international justice puts the entire human-rights system at risk,” Sánchez posted on X. “The EU cannot stand idly by in the face of this persecution.”
The request also covers UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, whom the Trumpadministration sanctionedin July 2025, claiming her criticism of Israel helped prompt the ICC investigation.
The European Parliament passed resolutions calling for activation in July and September 2025, but the Commission, which holds the authority to trigger the mechanism, took no action and offered no public explanation for the delay.
The Netherlands, as the host country of the ICC, has agreed to advocate for activation of the EU Blocking Statute at the European level, with Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel stating that “the Netherlands is too small” to shield its banks alone.
Six judges, representing roughly one-third of the court’s bench, along with the three most senior officials in the Office of the Prosecutor, havealready been sanctioned.
The EU’sBlocking Statuteis a legal mechanism that prohibits European individuals and companies from complying with foreign sanctions deemed to have extraterritorial reach. Originally enacted in 1996 to counter U.S. sanctions on Cuba, Iran, and Libya, it was updated in 2018 after Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran following its withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
If activated, the statute would prohibit European banks, service providers, and institutions from treating officials of the ICC as sanctioned persons under U.S. law.
One targeted judge, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru,told reportersthat the sanctions barred her from using credit cards, accessing dollar-based banking services, and using Western Union. She also said her daughter was denied a U.S. visa without explanation.
The dispute over the ICC is one front in a broader confrontation between Madrid and Washington. Spain denied the United States permission to use jointly operated military bases during operations against Iran, prompting President Donald Trump to threaten a suspension of trade with Spain.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
