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Thread: As EU debates potential steps in the face of Israeli annexation, here's some factual context on EU-Israel relations, incl. some lesser known aspects.
EU relations w/ Israel are one of closest & broadest sets of relations with any third country. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/israel-s-annexation-plans-could-be-a-game-changer-for-its-relationship-with-eu-1.4255473
EU relations w/ Israel are one of closest & broadest sets of relations with any third country. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/israel-s-annexation-plans-could-be-a-game-changer-for-its-relationship-with-eu-1.4255473
EU is Israel's 1st trading partner covering more than 1/3 of Israel's foreign trade (inc. UK). Israel EU's 28th trading partner, 1% of EU's trade. EU remains #1 for Israel even after Brexit.
Over last 10 yrs, 7 new EU-Israel agreements signed or initiated (agri trade,pharma,aviation,research,culture,Med cross-border,police coop) +Israel given privileged status for data transfers, exports of fruit&veg & dairy products to EU. All this despite so-called "upgrade freeze"
Israel given access to EU's Horizon 2020, world's largest research funding platform, Israel's 2nd biggest public source of funding for research, one of growth engines for Israeli high tech. Israel pays into the pgm but receives more than it gives (est. €140m net for 2013-20)
European Investment Fund, an EU financing agency, subsidises Israeli tech SMEs through a loan guarantee scheme - initially set at $100m in 2016 and expanded six-fold last year https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3762411,00.html
Education: Israel uses up 1/4 of EU Erasmus+ budget for academic mobility in South Med, being top beneficiary in that region (which goes down to its own excellence but its restrictions on stay of European academics at Palestinian universities are less excellent)
Despite this, Israeli politicians keep promoting negative EU image in Israel. Ministers like Naftali Bennett & Gilad Erdan, most adept at EU-bashing, were simultaneously receiving EU co-op funds for their ministries (twinning for education min, H2020 for public security min).
While Israel-aligned circles hype up the fact that there's been no EU-Israel association council mtg since 2012, Netanyahu himself has boycotted EU foreign chief Mogherini in last yrs of her term (as w/ her predecessor Ashton in her last year)
Israel keeps restricting imports of medical devices from eastern EU member states - yes, precisely those that most support its positions within EU. EU been asking to end this dicriminatory treatment of its eastern members for yrs, saying it contradicts EU-Israel assoc. agreement
What about settlements (illegal under int'l law & now supposed to be annexed)? EU has issued countless statements opposing them. But does its conduct match rhetoric?
EU keeps trading w/ them, imports about 15x more from settlements than from Palestinians in the same territory.
EU keeps trading w/ them, imports about 15x more from settlements than from Palestinians in the same territory.
Settlement goods not supposed to benefit from preferential tariffs but the arrangement to control that is cumbersome and not waterproof, based on postcodes of settlements that are frequently changing.
(Compare with EU ban on imports from Crimea after annexation)
(Compare with EU ban on imports from Crimea after annexation)
Settlement goods supposed to be correctly labelled but vast majority is still wrongly marked as products of Israel, as our research showed. Weak enforcement. This despite top EU court ruling last Nov that the rules are mandatory for all states. https://twitter.com/MartinKonecny/status/1194298840377155584
Visa: Israeli settlers enjoy visa-free access to EU while their Palestinian neighbours must apply for visa. Mirrors the 2-tier system in place.
(In Crimea, many EU states don't recognise Russian passports for Crimea residents, the latter can only apply for EU visa via Ukraine)
(In Crimea, many EU states don't recognise Russian passports for Crimea residents, the latter can only apply for EU visa via Ukraine)
Twinning: EU currently running €1.5m "twinning project" to help Israel with implementation of its waste strategy - despite fact that the first big project under that strategy is a major waste plant to be built in Maale Adumim settlement. https://twitter.com/MartinKonecny/status/1184408781519765504
Business: 18 EU states published voluntary advisories warning about risks of investing in settlements. EU itself hasn't done so, saying it's up to member states. For Crimea, EU has 10-page EU-level advisory + actually banned investment (somehow not up to MS in that case).
Not to leave member states off the hook: there are hundreds of bilateral agreements between them and Israel. Only a handful clearly exclude settlements. https://www.ecfr.eu/specials/differentiation-tracker#eu
Demolitions: In last 5 yrs, Israel demolished ~500 EU-funded structures for Pals in WB worth €1.7m in EU taxpayer money - homes, schools, barns, cisterns, solar panels - that stood in way of settlement policy. It ignores EU requests for compensation - but faces no consequences.
As media say EU is mulling 'sanctions' in response to annexation, worth recalling: Sanctions are standard & broadly used EU foreign pol tool. EU has sanctions in 30+ countries, on some 1200 persons & 500 entities. EU sanctions list is some 140p long. Map by @Carnegie_Europe:
But Israel not on the list despite grave violations of intl law & human rights.
What about positive incentives? EU offered "upgrade" of relations & later more far-reaching Special Privileged Partnership if Israel moves towards peace. Fell on flat ears b/c of the conditionality
What about positive incentives? EU offered "upgrade" of relations & later more far-reaching Special Privileged Partnership if Israel moves towards peace. Fell on flat ears b/c of the conditionality
Annexation would undermine legal & political foundation of EU-Israel relations. The above shows a) EU's leniency that has helped bring us to this point but also b) that the EU has many levers of influence - IF it finds political will to use them.
