Hungarian PM Orbán: Government withdraws intent to leave the International Criminal Court
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said his government will withdraw the decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC). The move halts a withdrawal process formally launched in April 2025. The European Commission called the step 'a return to the rule of law'.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a written message sent to parliament that his government will withdraw the decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to the statement carried by Anadolu Agency, Orbán justified the decision as 'the need to realign our European Union membership with our international-law obligations'. The formal ratification vote will be held in the Budapest parliament in mid-June.
The Orbán government had not enforced the ICC arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his April 2025 Budapest visit and had launched the formal withdrawal process. Under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, the withdrawal would have taken effect one year after notification; the retraction stops that timeline.
European Commission Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders welcomed the decision as 'a return to the rule of law and to the international institutional architecture'. ICC Office of the Prosecutor spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said the court is 'ready for cooperation-based dialogue' with Hungary. Hungarian opposition Tisza party leader Péter Magyar called the move 'late but correct'.
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