EU Prepares Possible Trade Restrictions on West Bank Settlement Goods

The European Commission is expected to soon present a set of options to restrict imports of goods from Judea and Samaria, following pressure from anti-Israel member states. The report, first aired by Euronews on Sunday, says the commission has been pushed after months of stalemate and may unveil the package by July 13.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after a meeting in Luxembourg that she would ask the commission to prepare a list of measures against the settlements. Those measures reportedly include explicit limits on imports from what the EU calls “illegal settlements.” The move is meant to deepen the boycott of products made in the settlements.

The EU has tried to rely on disputed 2024 legal opinions from the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which say the settlements are illegal. France and Sweden are among the leading advocates of the tougher line, arguing that tariffs on settlement goods would be a “normal” step. French foreign trade minister Nicolas Forissier recently described the policy as “non-aggressive.”

The commission had previously been reluctant because EU law treats such steps as sanctions, which require unanimous backing from all member states, and that support does not currently exist. Israeli officials rejected the claims that the settlements are illegal and called the European initiative blatant interference and delegitimization. The article says the final decision on the measures is likely to be taken around the next EU foreign ministers meeting in July.