Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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62. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his efforts to support the independence and integrity of the International Criminal Court; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4875/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ireland is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the cornerstone of the international system of criminal justice. I am deeply concerned by the rising level of sanctions, attacks and threats against the Court. These include the Executive Order signed by President Trump on 6 February 2025 authorising the imposition of sanctions on officials of the ICC, as well as Russia’s decision to open criminal proceedings against a number of senior ICC officials. The increased cyber-security threat faced by the Court since it was the subject of a sophisticated cyber-attack in September 2023 is also very concerning.

Attempts to interfere with the work of such an important international judicial institution serve not only to undermine the international legal order upon which our peace and prosperity is built, but also signal to perpetrators of the most serious crimes that they can to operate with impunity. It is vital that we allow the Court to carry out its important work in an independent and impartial manner.

Ireland has engaged in several initiatives to protect the integrity of the ICC. We have used, and will continue to use, our voice in international fora, such as the UN, the EU and the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties, to speak up against threats and attacks on the ICC.

Officials in my Department have engaged in outreach efforts in Washington DC to underline our support for the Court and highlight the adverse consequences that efforts to sanction the ICC will have. Ireland is one of 79 States Parties to the Court’s Statute that issued a joint statement on 7 February, regretting the impact of US sanctions against the ICC and reaffirming our support for the Court. Furthermore, at the most recent EU Foreign Affairs Council on 27 January, I reiterated Ireland’s call for the European Commission to prepare for the swift implementation of the EU Blocking Statute in response to US Sanctions.

In 2024, Ireland made a voluntary contribution of €500,000 to the ICC’s Special Fund for Security to provide for essential upgrades to the Court’s physical and IT security infrastructure.

We will continue to engage with the Court and our international partners, including within the EU, on how we can best support the ICC and assist in fulfilling its mandate to end impunity.