Kaja Kallasová drew attention to the disturbing attack on the international legal order and emphasized the need for the EU to support the International Criminal Court.
The EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas, said on Monday that the international legal order is “under attack” and the European 27 is therefore looking for ways to support the International Criminal Court (ICC). TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.
“There is a large-scale attack against the international legal order, human rights, internationally agreed norms and the institutions we have set up to enforce them,” Kallas said at the College of Europe in the Belgian city of Bruges.
ICC support
The head of EU diplomacy claims that although the EU has a long-term and consistent policy of support towards the ICC, the Eurobloc “has its faults”. All EU member countries are also members of the ICC, with the exception of Hungary, which is in the process of withdrawing.
“One member state has announced its intention to withdraw from the ICC, but all member states are legally bound by the decisions taken by the Council, including the decision to support the ICC, including withdrawal,” Kallas said. Reuters explains that Hungary should thus continue to be bound to support the ICC even after it formally withdraws from it.
USA and sanctions against the ICC
Kallas added that the Eurobloc is trying to find ways to help the court. “In Brussels, we are currently considering all available options, including specific mitigating measures, how we can capitalize on this support for the ICC in its difficult situation,” she concluded.
The United States earlier this year imposed sanctions on six ICC judges and three prosecutors, including its chief prosecutor Karim Khan, who temporarily resigned in May amid an investigation into alleged harassment. Washington is also considering sanctions against the entire court.
