When the International Criminal Court was established in 1998, it was labelled a success story of state cooperation. More recently, the ICC has been much criticized for focusing its prosecution activities on the African continent. Some states have now changed their attitude and oppose investigations by the ICC. They question the Court’s legitimacy and might leave the international setting of the ICC. A core aspect for understanding the ICC’s framework goes to the so-called trigger mechanism. It constitutes the procedural tool to activate any ICC intervention. The ICC evolved on the basis of state consent, achieving a procedural compromise reflected in the regulations of the Rome Statute. Yet this treaty is far from being perfect and leads to an imbalance when the Security Council is involved. In order to fairly criticize the ICC and its place in the international criminal system, which requires an identification of the actors relevant to the activation of the Court’s system, an understanding of the legal framework is indispensable.