Can the EU Share Values with its Partners in the Southern Neighbourhood ? Yet this has been the policy of the Government of the State of Israel since the beginning of its occupation in 1967. One particular aspect of this endeavour as seen by Israeli observers is obtaining the help of the EU to ensure personal security and safety, including neutralising the current pandemic by mass vaccination and supporting joint efforts in cyber capacity. Comparing the Role of the EU in the Turkish-Kurdish and Israeli-Palestinian Conflicts, G. Fernndez Arribas, K. Pieters and T. Takcs, (Eds.) The EUs position on settlements is very clear. From Hot Seat to Powerhouse: Managing Climate Change in the Southern Neighbourhood, Digital Transformation in the Southern Neighbourhood, The New EU Agenda for the Southern Mediterranean: Prospects for Morocco, A Quick Survey of EU-Israel Bilateral Relations 25 Years After the Barcelona Process, Reflections on EU-Jordanian Cooperation: Towards Tertiary Economics, Egypt and the EU: Ten Years after the Arab Uprising. ~FV,ZMzj !O" These figures include trade with Israeli settlements, all of which are illegal according to international law. Israel is in blatant violation of these conditions but faces no consequences beyond condemnatory statements. The EU, as is strongly suggested by Israeli experts, should also pursue programmes that are deemed a success, such as Erasmus+, Horizon 2020, the Open Skies Agreement as well as support to pro-peace and pro-democracy non-governmental organizations (NGOs). [& *?aBB'R:On7{CDM,h0+. According to Israeli official sources, both agreements are working well. Also under the radar, Twinning and TAIEX activities (introduced under the ENP) are proceeding smoothly, allocated 2 million per year. %
MASTER THESIS: The EU and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Conflict Resolution through Palestinian Civil Society? Sectoral agreements on agricultural free trade and liberalising civil air transport are in the making with a positive outlook. e#+ settings.xmlTN0#9B-7Nppm#M{6N[T$_rcvO/5I5dXJ9v|~;oI/VXIPaB;mryVNbyX?bik5NPH/w\#qP3h!QYRPe(bEY(6bgu0ukmy $jn}ey{=gIi2tALGi"SzwUf)@?4*WP85Q *;[Sr!cBv_N1Jye PK ! The European Union (EU) is Israels largest import and export market. They provide for substantial concessions on both sides, while taking into account the respective sensitivities. These agreements form part of the instruments establishing the free trade area and are subject to the relevant disciplines for trade in goods in the main agreement. Ashton: Israeli Government Intention on Settlements Illegal, December 2012. aP$U;+s?`TaH 8L^J{FyWIGlhU\. Fresh fruits, such as grapes and dates, as well as vegetables, make up a high proportion of the settlement goods exported to the EU. But in any case the EU Commission seems eager to upgrade its dialogue with Israels Ministry of Energy. Status and Progress 2009.
More generally, Easyjet, Wizz Air and Ryanair, all of them European low-cost carriers, have become household names to the Israeli tourism industry, which has become a strong supporter of the Open Sky agreement; not to mention the Israeli consumer of tourism services overseas, who reaps the huge benefits of low-cost travel to Europe. Israeli-Palestinian conflict, civil war in Syria, Cyprus conflict and new trends in Turkish foreign policy). This round, funding will be based on the principle of Pay As You Go, meaning that countries participating cannot earn money from the Programme. Other suggestions include the EUs support (political and financial) of the East Med Gas Forum and becoming an observer. The Agreement covers the following main subjects: The Agreement provides for effective market access for industrial goods in terms of tariffs and rules of origin, creating EFTA and EU parity for EFTA exports to Israel. Fresh fruits, such as grapes and dates, as well as vegetables, make up a high proportion of the settlement goods exported to the EU. Twinning brings experts of the EU for 18 to 24 months to liaise with the Israeli public sector, while TAIEX allows for bilateral meetings between European and Israeli officials once in a while, nowadays via Zoom. z>MLu0)h+$5X4Y.ut.[ zFfV+f^bMC%B_uX`#$0a(\Sn3DGYupVkQ 435 0 obj <>stream Hence, Israeli experts mention other possible EU contributions such as the promotion of security, human rights and good governance. By permitting the entry of settlement produce into their markets, EU member states are implicitly recognizing a situation arising from Israels violations of international law, effectively rendering aid or assistance in maintaining an illegal situation, and in the process contributing to the denial of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. 2/1999), Amendment to Article 37 concerning depositary of the Agreement, Amendment of Annex IV (deleted by Decision No. 263-305 (equal contribution), External Perceptions of the European Union as a Global Actor (London, Routledge 2010; reprinted in paperback 2011), Transatlantic Cooperation in the Middle East and North Africa and the Growing Role of the Gulf States. This is now a fact accepted by the Israeli authorities, clearly unwilling to openly challenge the European side. Answers of Israeli experts related to the achievement of resilient and sustainable economies clearly relate to other Mediterranean partners, not to Israel proper, for the reasons previously mentioned.
(Ranked as first option). X!7vwxUy^*j>l (F=n@a. !vm(jgGQtV]W)=T4+X9DtT`hj$BTy;6c#4q"wM4l N{G"-zqSqZClU\V329 Trading Away Peace: How Europe helps sustain illegal Israeli settlements, October 2012, available from: Feasting on the Occupation: Illegality of settlement produce and the responsibility of EU member states under International Law, available from: org/publications/Feasting-on-the-occupation.pdf. 6 0 obj Compared to other SMCs, when asked about future constraints to cooperation, Israeli experts are much more worried than the rest by the meagre perspective of solving enduring conflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean (e.g. A particular contribution of the ENP phase in relations between the EU and Israel is in the realm of education, namely the different versions of the ERASMUS programme. A 2010 judgment by the European Court of Justice strengthened the EU's stance against Israel's settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory, by permitting member states to refuse to grant preferential treatment to settlement products and confirming that member states are not bound by proofs of origin supplied by Israel, if there is insufficient evidence of a products origin. A special role is left for the EU as a key player in promoting awareness of issues of privacy, while at the same time fighting cybercrime and promoting de-radicalisation programmes.
In addition, sign up for our thematic newsletters on the Euro-Mediterranean agenda and Migrations in the region: EuroMed Insights and EuroMed Insights Migrations. In fact, in 2012, despite Israels ongoing settlement construction, the EU-Israel Association Council, one of two bodies established to monitor the implementation of the Association agreement, approved 60 concrete activities in over 15 specific fields, including cooperation with a number of EU agencies. Trade and Sustainable Development in FTAs, Free Trade Agreements and Trade Relations by Partners, Customs Duties on Exports and Charges having Equivalent Effect, Quantitative Restrictions and Measures having Equivalent Effect, State Aid (referred to in paragraph 2 of Art. e1f-*RKgAQc=\3-`{Jx!!Dz0WE7!r"m|M7Qt:%|97>XfAb^4F@#8Y:"iEOL"DKts"! EU High Representative Catherine Ashton.
For instance, climate change is considered a top challenge, while inclusive growth comes only in second place, the reverse happening for the rest of the Mediterranean countries.
The Agreement includes provisions relating to the elimination of customs duties and other trade barriers as well as other trade-related disciplines such as rules of competition, protection of intellectual property, public procurement, state monopolies, state aid, and payments and transfers. Israel: a challenge for European Foreign Policy? The European Parliament also discussed the issue of properly labeling the exact origins of products noting its concern that goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) may be sold in Europe labelled as 'Produce of the West Bank' or as produce of Israel and calling on member states to ensure, through their enforcement of EU labelling law, that Israeli settlement products are clearly distinguished from Israeli goods and Palestinian products. Some of the EIB activities are directly linked to Horizon 2020. Initially, that materialised in the active participation of six out of seven R&D Framework Programmes, followed by Horizon 2020 (as from 2017), nowadays on the verge of being wound up. *:J3;M}dw,JVZb2lPXA)'cSi9{h0IVtSHnZu!x42_~A`8)$\aMV2hnjIWKVwnqVuM_qZ#2(2Ri8Z1~:%\9F`Ip-d5Shsdl4B\ft&=CfkP1O@0QCfMCPa#lbu]?&^LS++tO`Qx7W(*qD-u6 3FUyO`.U Even so, as a result of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, the EU decided to freeze political relations (2009-2010). Consultations are the fundamental mechanism of dispute settlement between the FTA partners. The latters objective was to provide a general framework for the reinforcement of political, economic and social relations between the two Mediterranean coasts. hbbd```b`0i D|mA$+ "7Hl0D
Any Israeli government understands now that it would be very difficult to backtrack and close the country for policy reasons to the winds of cheap overseas travelling. Forty-six years later, the Israeli settlement enterprise in the Occupied State of Palestine is a profitable undertaking based on the theft and colonization of Palestinian land and natural resources with seemingly no political, legal, or diplomatic cost for Israel. This policy was all the more attractive for Israel in that it was bilateral and differentiated, hence taking the specificities of Israel into account. These are two flagship projects mentioned in the Agenda. The provisions on protection of intellectual property rights (Article 15 and Annex V) covers, inter alia, patents, trademarks and copyright and geographical indications. Another non-controversial development in bilateral relations is the activity of the European Investment Bank (EIB), which is very satisfied with Israel as far as innovation funding of activities via Bank Leumi linked to medical equipment and desalinisation plants. You can download the paper by clicking the button above. hUSY_DtY&54|(5m5%j%B-uf\5^= The EFTA States signed a Free Trade Agreement with Israel in Geneva, Switzerland, on 17 September 1992. The EFTA Secretariat is here to answer your questions on trade matters. This is confirmed by a quantitative analysis of answers given by the Israeli experts to the EuroMeSCo Euromed Survey, compared to those given by other Southern Mediterranean Countries (SMCs). This is the place to deal with what continues to be a central focus for Israel in the bilateral relationship since the 25 years of the Barcelona Process, namely the practical inclusion of Israel in the EUs R&D space (formally not part of the EMP). Trade with Israeli settlements is inconsistent with the EUs own policy of halting settlement expansion. In practice it has not been meeting since 2012, following the actual freeze of political relations more than a decade ago. Consolidated Versions of The Treaty On European Union and the Treaty On The Functioning of The European Union, available from: Sign-up to get UN updates, incoming events straight to your inbox, http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/israel/, www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/Trading%20Away%20Peace%20October%202012_tcm15-63607.pdf, http://www.neurope.eu/article/ashton-israeli-s-government-intention-expand-settlements-west-bank-illegal, http://www.eccpalestine.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/EU_Homs_Jerusalem_Report_2012-1.pdf, http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+WDECL+P7-DCL-2010-0064+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN, http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/EU-working-on-guidelines-to-label-West-Bank-products-310760, http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cmsUpload/st06655-re01.en08.pdf, Human rights and international humanitarian law, Monthly Bulletin (Action by UN System and IGOs Relevant to Question of Palestine), Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. EuropEan InvolvEmEnt In thE arab-IsraElI ConflICt, Plus a change? There is a perceived need to continue the dialogue with other Mediterranean countries, as this is something that not only the EU but also the new US Biden administration will probably be keen on. There were in 2018 more Israeli students studying in Europe than in the US. This was entirely justified in Israels perception. If you are passionate about Euro-Mediterranean relations, we want to hear from you. Assessing the EU Statement of June 2008, [Nathalie Tocci] The EU and Conflict Resolution P(BookFi.org), The UfM and the Middle East Peace Process: An Unhappy Symbiosis. Israel is already very closely following the development of green standards in the EU. In 2011, trade between Israel and the EU amounted to 29.4 billion (USD 38.7 billion), of which 12.6 billion (USD 16.6 billion) came from Israeli exports. Graph 2: Q.5 What is the European Unions added value compared to other global players that are increasingly active in the region? This is not surprising given the impressive and lasting growth record of Israel since 2003 (more than 3% annually). 18), Compulsory reserves in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Constitution and functioning or the Arbitral Tribunal, Joint Conclusions on Exports from the Territories, Mutual Administrative Assistance in customs matters, Detailed information on concessions for Processed Agricultural Products, Notification on price compensation measures for processed agricultural products, For EFTA-Israel trade statistics, please visit this page, Entry into force of the EFTA-Israel revised bilateral agricultural agreements, EFTA States and Israel sign revised bilateral agricultural agreements, EFTA-Israel Joint Committee adopts two decisions, EFTA and Israel hold 8th Joint Committee meeting, EFTA and Israel to review Free Trade Agreement, Amendments to Articles 18 and 23 and Annex II, and deletion of Annexes VI and VII concerning State Aid, Amendment to Article 22 concerning balance of payment difficulties, Protocol E on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters, Administrative Arrangement concerning the implementation of Protocol B and Annex II of the bilateral agricultural agreements, Introduction of a new Article 25 Bis and Annex VIII on arbitration procedure, Amendment to Annex IV (deleted by Decision No. EU member states should therefore give effect to their long-standing positions and pressure Israel to halt ongoing violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law. It leads to a discrete Europeanization of Israels regulations in the domains of education, communication, environment and in the near future welfare (something hoped for in Israel). The Agreement covers trade in industrial products as well as fish and marine products. More ambitious long-term objectives include sharing the agenda on climate change; the promotion of cross-border cultural exchange with all ENP partners; exploring the possibility of associate EU membership for Israel; above all the EU should promote political stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. The economic gap with the other southern partners of the ENP had widened since the 1990s. A perusal of published documents on 9 February 2021 describing the EUs new Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) shows that there are only marginal items of interest for Israel, such as the EUs intention to partially fund the construction of a gas pipeline from Israel to Gaza or the upgrading of the Jordanian Hussein Bridge, linking the West Bank to Jordan and facilitating connectivity between the two sides of the Jordan river. Suffice it to recall here that the EU and the US are by far Israels most important markets for its exports of goods and services. The labeling of settlement products is undoubtedly a positive and important first step, but the EU and individual member states can still do more by enforcing a complete ban on all trade with the illegal Israeli settlements under Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.9. A latecomer small contribution of the EMP, namely the Regional Convention on Pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin (PEM Convention) ofFebruary 2013 did not lead to more regional cooperation in industrial activities between Israel and its Arab neighbours, which was one of its original intentions. The EU also mentions as a flagship project its wish to step up the already extended cooperation with Israel in the areas of digital research and innovation, without specifying beyond that. EU Foreign Policy and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: How much of an Actor? Protection of Intellectual Property (IPR). Diplomatically, however, these developments are considered more than a simple annoyance. The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was more attractive for Israel in that it was bilateral and differentiated, hence taking the specificities of Israel into account. Even so, there are some Israeli observers that see in the New Agenda some new opportunities for involving the EU in helping to promote intra-regional cooperation among Mediterranean partner states. The practical inclusion of Israel in the EUs R&D space continues to be a central focus for Israel. In terms of energy, the EU has been funding the feasibility studies, not yet completed, for the construction of the so-called East-Med Pipeline to convey gas from Israel all the way to Italy by 2027. 
They are cultivated using land and natural resources illegally seized from Palestinians. 1While official import and export statistics do not reveal the exact volume of exports from the Israeli settlements to the EU, the most recent estimated value is 229 million (USD 300 million) per year.2, Agricultural products, mostly grown in the Jordan Valley, are one of the main exports of Israeli settlements. How can Turkey help to improve regional stability in ME? In this context, Israel was offered an Association Agreement with the EU for an unlimited time period. The level of protection in certain areas goes beyond what is stipulated under the WTO Agreement on Trade Related aspects of Intellectual Property, taking into account the principles of most favoured nation treatment and of national treatment. And the economic asymmetry between Israel and all other Mediterranean countries (but for Turkey) has been increasing since December 2004 when a tailor-made Action Plan between Israel and the EC was concluded de facto in the context of the ENP. Trading with settlements helps to sustain the expansion of these settlements and their related infrastructure, and amounts to tacit support for these serious breaches of international humanitarian law. Another aspect in the New Agenda will attract the attention of the Israeli private and public sectors, namely its insistence on involving Mediterranean partners in the EUs Green Transition and on coping with climate change. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. The transfer by an Occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies constitutes a grave breach of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention and violates the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The EMP (also known by the term Barcelona Process) and its successor frameworks until the New Agenda for the Mediterranean have not drawn much of Israeli public officials time and enthusiasm, as explained above. Regarding competition (Article 17), the agreement includes provisions on co-operation and exchange of information with the aim of ensuring and facilitating the enforcement of the Parties' respective competition laws. Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer. While official import and export statistics do not reveal the exact volume of exports from the Israeli settlements to the EU, the most recent estimated value is 229 million (USD 300 million) per year. The EU Israel Association Agreement, which gives Israel a number of trade benefits, but from which Israeli settlements are supposed to be excluded due to the fact they are situated illegally in the occupied State of Palestine, is conditioned upon progress in the Peace Process and Israels respect of human rights norms. Cooperation in the fields of education, communication, environment and in the near future welfare lead to a discrete Europeanization of Israels regulations. For EFTA-Israel trade statistics, see EFTA Trade Statistics Tool. Israel is of course a founding member of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), created in 2008 and a sui generis follow-up of the EMP (not of the ENP) and which de facto opened for business only in 2011 with active Israeli input. As of 1 January 1993, virtually all customs duties on trade in industrial goods and fish and other marine products were eliminated. Occupied Palestinian Territories, available from: EU Working on Plan to label settlement Products. http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/israel/, 2Trading Away Peace: How Europe helps sustain illegal Israeli settlements, October 2012, available from: www.christianaid.org.uk/Images/Trading%20Away%20Peace%20October%202012_tcm15-63607.pdf, 3Feasting on the Occupation: Illegality of settlement produce and the responsibility of EU member states under International Law, available from: org/publications/Feasting-on-the-occupation.pdf, 4Ashton: Israeli Government Intention on Settlements Illegal, December 2012, http://www.neurope.eu/article/ashton-israeli-s-government-intention-expand-settlements-west-bank-illegal, 5EU Heads of Mission Jerusalem Report 2012. http://www.eccpalestine.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/EU_Homs_Jerusalem_Report_2012-1.pdf, 6http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf;jsessionid=9ea7d2dc30db5ddfd9fffbc94d1cb219e0d629d54a77.e34KaxiLc3qMb40Rch0SaxuLaxr0?text=&docid=72406&, pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1002679, 7European Parliament (6th September 2010) Written Declaration 0064/2010 On the labelling of goods from the, Occupied Palestinian Territories, available from: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML+WDECL+P7-DCL-2010-0064+0+DOC+PDF+V0//EN&language=EN, 8EU Working on Plan to label settlement Products.
However, the present Israeli government seems to focus much more on a series of developments that, admittedly, do not have great economic implications for Israel or obstruct its relations with Eastern Mediterranean member states such as Greece, Italy and Cyprus. The EU Heads of Mission voiced a number of serious concerns in their 2012 report on East Jerusalem, in which they condemned settlement building and recommended that EU member states place economic sanctions on settlements. Clearly, many Israeli experts consulted for the Survey also seem to expect much from the EU in the field of youth education. 1European Commission. But given the ongoing reluctance in the EP to upgrade formal relations with Israel for political reasons, the perspective of un-freezing the Action Plan attached to the ENP is unrealistic.
The labeling of settlement products is undoubtedly a positive and important first step, but the EU and individual member states can still do more by enforcing a complete ban on all trade with the illegal Israeli settlements under Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Z META-INF/manifest.xml ="5 0$Ii&{(|%xq!HVHMlV~Z :lBq !lf c;*aFgTAJ59LZG_xa_j"q J'3Q7'yk(2m qegqO&cW PK ! Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. The Agreement consists of 37 Articles, eight Annexes, four Protocols and a Record of Understanding.
2/1999), Amendment of Annex III (deleted by Decision No. In addition, bilateral agricultural agreements between the individual EFTA States (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) and Israel have been concluded which form part of the instruments creating the free trade area. Under the Agreement a Joint Committee is established which supervises the Agreement. Israel-EU relations have proceeded since 2012 in a piecemeal way. The Article on public procurement (Article 14) contains a review clause with a view to further liberalisation of the public procurement markets in the Partner countries. Changes in Turkish-Israeli Relations and Implications for Regional Security Environment, The Widening Gap between Rhetoric and Reality in EU Policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, External perceptions of the European Union as a Global Actor, The outsiders: the European neighbourhood policy, The European Union and the crisis in the Middle East. There is a widespread consensus that the EU can help in this task now that the so-called Abraham Accords have open normalisation perspectives with several Arab states (such as Morocco). It is until today the only legal basis for EU-Israel relations since 2000, when it was entirely ratified by the European Parliament (EP), the 15 member states and Israel. Questions about trade and our free trade agreements? M[|lJ(~7nX.&#CQQ)DR%BD7gk [5.IKQI G$K%QXc=%,I$ ZUQU States have responsibilities when confronted with serious breaches of international law, even if they are not directly party to it. A particular contribution of the ENP phase in relations between the EU and Israel is in the realm of education, particularly mobility and exchange of university students and academics, namely the different versions of the ERASMUS programme. Negotiations between the EU and Israel to include it in Horizon Europe, the newest programme, will only start in late 2021, as there have been delays in Brussels unconnected to Israel in drawing the new regulations of the Programme, mainly because of the corona crisis. The Agreement covers trade in all fish and other marine products (Article 2 and Annex II). Not coincidentally all are areas not connected to security and defence where the influence of the United States (US) is dominant. (Ranked as first option). What Israel liked most about it was that it was an approach that favoured carrots over sticks: the EU would apply a so-called positive conditionality that valued shared values rather than a negative conditionality employed in the context of the 1995 Association Agreement (which contemplated its possible suspension by one of the parties if human rights were not respected by the other party). 