Spain urges EU to activate its blocking statute to counter external sanctions pressure

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.

España no mira hacia otro lado.
Sancionar a quienes defienden la justicia internacional es poner en riesgo todo el sistema de derechos humanos.

La UE no puede permanecer de brazos cruzados ante esta persecución.

Por eso, hoy pedimos a la Comisión que active el Estatuto de…

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 6, 2026

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