Eight European mayors seek EU protection for ICC under US sanctions

The mayors of The Hague and seven other European cities have written to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen asking for help to keep the International Criminal Court (ICC) operating under US sanctions, Dutch news agency ANP reports. Their appeal adds to calls for protection already made by EU leaders, but is not itself a new EU measure.

ANP says the mayors of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Lille, Paris, Rome and Strasbourg joined The Hague in asking the Commission to use its tools and international network on the court’s behalf. They say the protection of the international legal order is at stake.

The US Treasury added the ICC to its sanctions list on 9 October. It also issued a licence allowing transactions needed to maintain or wind down the court’s operations and agreements until 7 April 2027, including salary payments and routine services. Three other licences have no expiry date, according to the Commission. The sanctions are therefore already in place, but they do not amount to an immediate blanket ban on services to the court.

EU leaders had already backed protecting international courts and maintaining the ICC’s access to financial and other services. In a notice dated 23 October, the Commission said it would keep seeking a diplomatic solution with the US and urged EU service providers to continue serving the court within the scope of the licences.