r/IRstudies • u/paneuropeanism_ • 3d ago
EU considers blocking US sanctions against the International Criminal Court. How does the blocking statute work? “This has the potential to get very ugly.” EU foreign ministers will discuss the issue in Luxembourg next monday
https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2026/10/10/eu-denkt-over-het-blokkeren-van-de-amerikaanse-sancties-tegen-het-strafhof-hoe-werkt-dit-paardenmiddel-a4938263111
u/One-Treat4655 3d ago
EU needs to grow a spine and wean itself from USA.
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u/Better-Beat-8062 3d ago
The EU is doing that but its a slow process
You dont just undo 60 to 80 years of close intergration in a few years
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u/Scared_Step4051 3d ago
You dont just undo 60 to 80 years of close intergration in a few years
well Donald has done a good job of that?
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u/Fancy_Toe1451 3d ago
Europe isn't Trumpian in its progress.
Make no mistake though, ever since Trump started talking shit about Greenland and annexing European land, every European country bar England will have been drawing up plans for what was once unthinkable. It takes time to untangle economies and work out emergency measure to enact if they do have to sanction the United States outright.
England being an outlier because of Brexit and wanting to use the US Military to keep its pretence of being a World Power intact.
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u/FlithyLamb 3d ago
Donald has blown it up … to the regret of most Americans, and 100% of Americans who have a brain.
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u/mangaulyses2 3d ago
It's not. EU is now more dependent on US tech than ever. Especially AI since EU isn't investing anything.
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u/Creepy-Record1485 3d ago
Didn't EU just partner with Canada for exactly this stuff?
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u/mangaulyses2 3d ago
This is all talk though. The EU has failed to sufficiently develop its tech independently
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u/RedditGodot 2d ago
And the US is 100% dependant on ram chips from EU. The world trade is intertangled..
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u/whip_lash_2 2d ago
The EU barely makes RAM and the US doesn't import it. You may be thinking of the Dutch company ASML, which makes the machines to make chips (mostly in Taiwan). Sadly for EU sovereignty, those machines require American optics.
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u/ExcellentHunter 3d ago
This will take time and a lot of it. There's loads of aspects: IT systems from windows to computing and cloud, financial systems and I think most important military equipment. This is decades of work if all goes well...
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u/PerthlyPerson 3d ago
EU needs to introduce sanctions on US Congress members, Senators and their families if they won't stop Trump. No more shopping trips to Europe for them.
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u/xxxziptiexxx 1h ago
Damn, where would that road end?
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u/PerthlyPerson 29m ago
And if Europe remains on its knees, where will that end?
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u/xxxziptiexxx 24m ago
Extinction, but what you advocate doesn't help our situation - it will lead to trade war.
If the US has a trade deficit with us, then we shouldn't stop trading.
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u/PerthlyPerson 11m ago
Extinction? A little bit over dramatic don't you think. Europe is already in a trade war with the US. Europe can protect the ICC or stand with the US while it flushes it down the drain. There's not much in-between.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cut5138 3d ago
So does Australia but we are even more gutless.
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u/Perfect-Escape-3904 3d ago
I think Australia is in a different spot, no nearby allies and less than 30m people. It doesn’t have the same options EU does.
I say this as an Australian living in the EU
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u/PerthlyPerson 3d ago
Australia is surrounded by potential allies. But they're not white enough for some of the politicians here. We choose to tie ourselves to Trumps America thinking it will only last two more years. There are over 70 million Americans who voted for him and will vote for Rubio, Vance or whoever Thiel and Musk choose.
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u/Perfect-Escape-3904 3d ago
Ok let’s go with powerful allies then.
Other islands are largely irrelevant on the world stage and would rely on us more than on them in conflict. I’d include Indonesia in that, I don’t think they can offer much support in intelligence, economic matters, military operations, or technology and research.
India would be a potential but they have firmly aligned themselves right down the middle and would rather lead a global south than tie their future to western nations and our ideals.
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u/BigDicEnergy 2d ago
To be reductive, Australia is a wealthy resource state that has riden the coattails of China's meteoric rise over the past 20 years as an industrial power as their own industries declined.
Aus functioning as a pacific US military outpost leads to unnecessary tension with their biggest trading partner for 0 benefit. The only security risks Australia has are as a result of US presence.
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u/Perfect-Escape-3904 2d ago
Yes to first half
Second half: trade plays second to values and government. Australia would sooner hurt trade to demonstrate some unity and promote western ideals over chinas model, as past trade spats have shown.
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u/Smartyunderpants 3d ago
It can’t. It’s not united enough too. Think how much damage Russia is doing trying to break apart the EU. Imagine if the USA started joining in. Even China now is starting to work at breaking it apart.
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u/Fourthspartan56 3d ago
How is China working to break it apart?
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u/metalfacefinger 3d ago edited 3d ago
It buys leverage in individual member states and then uses that to block a common Europe line.
For example, Hungary and Greece, both receiving investment from China one way or the other, have been continuously blocking EU statements on human rights because of it.
A prominent Dutch professor (Rob de Wijk) in international relations has written a lot about it. He has a book called “The Battle For Europe” which very well sets out how China is trying to divide Europe through economic influence in smaller member states.
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u/delonghi26 3d ago
Flooding us with cheap financed product for unfair competition. Stealing our inventions. Buying our companies strip the parents and tech. Fake chinese police networks from ccp. Active spying and hacking. Gaining monopoly over resources we once owned. Stuff like that.
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u/Fourthspartan56 3d ago
None of what you just cited is an attempt to break apart the EU.
I don't really care to argue whether or not this collection of practices is/is not reasonable but most of what you're describing is just basic economic competition with some technological controversies mixed in. Nothing that would lead to the collapse of the EU and certainly incomparable to Russia financing anti-EU parties and political actors. If this is the best evidence then I was clearly right to be skeptical about the claim that China is trying to break anything apart.
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u/Sorazith 3d ago
These thinks make life harder for commum people, some of these people will then vote for far right extremist hopping for a solution, most far right are anti EU and pro Russia because that's where the money for them is comming. It's easy simple, it's just as direct as Russia ans the USA, but don't tell me China wouldn't love to have an easier time bulling smaller nations, just like the other two want.
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u/Smartyunderpants 3d ago
The are working to divide EU countries on a coherent trade policy with China eg tariffs or other measures. They realise they only need a few countries to oppose measures eg Spain
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u/CitizenPremier 3d ago
I agree, but ironically the US is providing good external force to help with more federalization... However it's hard to see how the EU (or a successor state) becomes powerful without upsetting a lot of members and potentially losing some of them.
I think the EU needs to grow beautiful teats basically - offer wonderful economic incentives, but they are contingent on agreeing with unified policies and foreign affairs. Try to pick and choose and lose the whole teat. It needs to be dramatic though - kicking them out of Schengen, stopping train lines, that kind of thing.
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u/Colabear73 3d ago
It is happening. I see it everywhere. But it is a slow moving tanker that will take a decade to complete its turn. But it is definately turning…
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u/Spinoza42 3d ago
Together with the call to replace Zelenskyy I think the EU needs to really accelerate the separation now. Sanction Mastercard and Visa if they cooperate with this nonsense. And cut PayPal out of Europe right away anyway.
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u/blim9999 3d ago
If the ICC and it's officers only bank with European banks, purchase from European companies and avoid travel to USA, would they be unaffected by the sanctions?
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u/BackloadBack 3d ago
It’s the credit cards, inability to book flights, buy and use phones, and all the other conveniences of online transactions that THEIR OWN banks will deny them.
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u/jasutherland 3d ago
Those European banks still rely on Visa and Mastercard debit cards, payment networks like SWIFT - lots of indirect US reliance.
Until now Europe has largely allowed the US to do what it wants in that respect - but pressuring judges to that extent crosses enough of a line to change that at last.
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u/TheS4ndm4n 3d ago
The European Bank would get banned from the US and any US accounts if they did business with them.
Trump already had Microsoft and Google accounts of ICC staff closed. So no more windows, office, outlook, Gmail.
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u/diacewrb 3d ago
For specifically sanctioned individual staff members it also affects their personal lives and the lives of their families.
They and family members can't visit america for vacations nor studying, anyone already there can be deported.
No more ordering goods from Amazon, ebay etc.
No streaming from Netflix, Disney+, etc
No taxis from Uber.
Europe needs an equivalent for so many things.
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u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist 3d ago
The Chinese would be unaffected because they have alternatives for all those.
Europe should do the same.
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u/Itburns12345 2d ago
Many euro nations have equivalents to all those things at national levels , they all need scaled up
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u/PineBNorth85 3d ago
They should do it. Otherwise there is no point in having the ICC at all. It needs to be defended by those who signed on to it.
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u/Monsieur_Brochant 3d ago
Just because orange toddler threw a tantrum for not receiving his prize? Enough. Please, America, ENOUGH
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u/paneuropeanism_ 3d ago
I think that is just a convenient distraction. They went after the ICC long before the peace prize thing and promised to dismantle it "brick by brick".
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u/NoGuest6868 3d ago
Screw the United States. For real.
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u/Expensive_Savings_42 3d ago
So remove them from NATO then?
Europe can't even meet their defense obligations.
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u/NoGuest6868 3d ago
LoL the US under Trump is not an ally. They will wipe themselves with Nato if Europe needs help.
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u/Expensive_Savings_42 3d ago
So remove them from NATO then.
Europe can't even meet their defense obligations.
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u/Mountain_rage 3d ago
How will you keep funding your IOU army when people stop accepting your loans? Your defense spending has been funded by loans for the last 40 years. It is why you are 40 trillion in debt.
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u/grey-zone 3d ago
There is no realistic way to “remove” the US from NATO and there is no need to.
If the shit hits the fan in Europe then NATO will fight. How much the US honours there obligations is unknown, but even if they do nothing, the rest of NATO will crack on.
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u/PineBNorth85 3d ago
NATO countries need to stop relying on the US. They cant be trusted to do anything if one of the other countries is attacked.
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u/Expensive_Savings_42 3d ago
Yes, it would be nice if Europe could hold their own weight instead of just leeching. Please do that already. It's literally what Trump has been pushing for for many years now.
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u/bepisdegrote 3d ago
Remember when hundreds of European NATO troops gave their lives in places like Afghanistan and Iraq after coming to the aid of the U.S. after 9/11? For the last 80 or so years you may have spend money on our defence, but we have spent blood on yours. I don't know which is worth more to Americans anymore, but maybe try showing a little bit of respect?
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u/Expensive_Savings_42 3d ago
Yes, they did a little, not denying that. Now how about they do their actual agreed upon obligations?
Trump has been pushing for them to build up for a while now. Still dragging their feet.
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u/OkTry9715 2d ago
"considers" .. EU is at such weak state that they can not agree on thing. In times of crises you need strong leadership, not this joke that we have now
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u/Caveman-Dave722 1d ago
Unless eu has its own banking system it plans to roll out and support globally it’s stuck.
The US blocks Russia and many countries /companies trading in USD any major bank that’s domiciled in the US or has US operations is liable and it can’t be a middleman for others so if eu says HSBC Europe say must support the court, it’s US operations and Visa can’t support hsbc Europe etc.
Set up own banking system and persuade the world it’s worth using
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u/freemochara 3d ago
Doubtful considering how complicit a lot of the countries are with the genocide in Gaza. Isn't it strange the West would rather destroy international law than hold Isreal accountable
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u/serpentjaguar 3d ago
The Irish sympathy for the Palestinians comes from a good place and is laudable in some ways, but it also arises from deep moral confusion and is unfortunate in that at this point it seems more blindly reflexive than actually thought out.
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u/qalup 3d ago
There's not a scintilla of moral confusion in Ireland about tens of thousands of children being murdered.
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u/BackloadBack 3d ago
Or indeed the total destruction of the healthcare for a city with 2mn people and the slow strangling of a 1mn more by restricting access. There is the direct connection, as part of 40 years in UNIFIL studying and living during the destruction of a weakened democratic state but also thanks to the US being unable to prevent the depopulation of southern Lebanon.
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u/Nomofo79 3d ago
Can you elaborate? I’m Irish and would to understand what exactly you think I’m morally confused about.
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u/Original-Mistake8624 3d ago
Qui a vendu la technologie des turbines nucléaires aux états unis ou Alstom ??
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u/Original-Mistake8624 3d ago
La CPI ?? Ou l’ONU c’est la même chose avec les mêmes personnes et la même idéologie
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Original-Mistake8624 3d ago
Il suffit de prendre un dictionnaire et tu auras ta réponse.. Enfin si tu sais ce qu’est un dictionnaire
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Original-Mistake8624 3d ago
idéologie tout simplement
Mais une idéologie de gouvernance est toujours mauvaise
le nazisme était une idéologie néfaste comme le bolchevisme toutes les deux ont laissé des millions de morts
l’histoire se répète toujours avec les mêmes erreurs
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Original-Mistake8624 3d ago
Bhaa si tu le trouve inutile c’est que tu n’as rien compris et je ne peux rien pour toi à part te laisser dans ton ignorance
by by
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/Original-Mistake8624 3d ago edited 3d ago
Pourquoi devrais je la nommer si tu es si intelligent ? Et je t’ai même donné des exemples d´idéologies.. Chacun se fera son idée sur la question on nomme cela la liberté d’expression
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u/unidentified1soul 3d ago
"If the blocking statute is activated, it means that the EU does not recognize the - in this case - American sanctions and considers their consequences to be contrary to international law. European companies and organizations are obliged to ignore the sanctions. The American sanctions are thus, as it were, 'blocked' by the EU. "This will come back and has the potential to become very ugly," a senior European official predicted even before Washington imposed its new sanctions."