Spain has formally requested the European Commission to activate the EU’s blocking statute, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, as concerns grow over external pressure on international institutions.
In a statement posted on X, Sánchez argued that penalising those who defend international justice risks undermining the global human rights system and warned that the European Union should not remain passive in the face of what he described as a policy of “persecution," Caliber.Az reports.
He said Spain was calling on the Commission to activate the mechanism in order to safeguard the independence of the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, as well as to support their efforts aimed at halting the violence in Gaza.
The EU's blocking statute is a legal mechanism designed to protect Europeans from the extraterritorial effects of sanctions imposed by third countries. It prohibits EU-based entities from complying with such measures and allows them to seek compensation for damages incurred as a result of those sanctions.
By Sabina Mammadli
