In a guest article for the Austrian daily DER STANDARD, Andreas Pollak, partner at petsche pollak and former WKStA prosecutor, looks at the US sanctions against the International Criminal Court and why they matter for businesses in Europe.

In August 2026, the United States added the President of the ICC to its sanctions list. Because US sanctions also bind American companies and their European subsidiaries, their effects reach well beyond the US. The EU Blocking Statute, which prohibits compliance with certain foreign sanctions, does not cover these measures. So each company has to decide for itself whether to continue a business relationship with the persons concerned, and the compliance departments end up making that call instead of the EU. The article explains the legal risks this creates for European banks, insurers and other businesses.