EU Commission to Review Israel Association Agreement After 1.1 Million Signatures
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Over 1.1 million EU citizens have signed a petition calling for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, prompting the European Commission to review it. The Commission will meet with organizers and hold a public hearing, with a decision expected by May 2027. Separately, a new clause in the EU's "Horizon" research program draft could exclude Israel, which Israeli officials warn would be a major blow to its academia and a significant win for the BDS movement.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Over 1.1 million EU citizens signed a petition demanding the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
- The European Commission will review the petition and hold a public hearing, with a response due by May 2027.
- A new clause in the EU's "Horizon" research program draft may exclude Israel from future funding.
- Israeli officials warn the exclusion from "Horizon" would be a severe blow to local academia.
- The petition was organized by a coalition of left-wing parties accusing Israel of failing to prevent genocide in Gaza.
The European Commission will re-examine the Association Agreement governing trade and political dialogue between the European Union and Israel, following a petition signed by over 1.1 million EU citizens demanding its suspension. The petition, organized by a coalition of left-wing parties, accuses Israel of failing to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip, according to Politico. The Commission has announced it will meet with the initiative's organizers in the coming weeks to discuss its details, followed by a public hearing in the European Parliament. A formal response, clarifying whether operational steps will be taken, is expected by May 2027.
The petition was submitted under the "European Citizens' Initiative" mechanism, which obliges the Commission to consider any initiative gathering over one million signatures. This is a rare achievement, as only 14 out of 136 initiatives submitted in the last decade have reached the million-signature threshold. France, Italy, and Spain provided the majority of the signatures. While a review is unlikely to lead to significant changes in the trade agreement, which benefits Israeli exporters and accounts for about a third of Israel's goods trade, the extensive mobilization highlights the conflict's impact on European public opinion and the pressure on decision-makers.
Further political pressure on Israel in Europe comes from a new clause in the draft of the "Horizon" research program for 2028-2034. This clause conditions foreign participation on adherence to human rights and the genocide convention. Israeli officials fear this clause is designed to exclude Israel from the program. A senior Israeli official warned that if these changes are implemented and Israel is expelled from the program, it would be a severe blow to the local academia, potentially causing a brain drain as Israeli scientists would be unable to advance without grants. He described it as the largest achievement to date for the BDS movement.
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