The EU will approve a partial suspension of its trade agreement with Israel on Wednesday
The head of Community diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, and the European Trade Commissioner, Maros Sefcovic, will appear before the media to report on the decisions taken.
Von der Leyen, in the European Chamber.
The European Commissionwill adopt a series of measures on Wednesday with the aim of partially suspending the EU's trade agreement with Israel, as announced last week by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the State of the Union debate.
The proposal also provides for the suspension of bilateral aid to Israel , the establishment ofspecific financial mechanisms for humanitarian assistance tothePalestinian population and the reconstruction of Gaza , among others.
The head of Community diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, and the European Trade Commissioner, MarosSefcovic , will appear before the journalists to report on the decision taken.
Among the agreed measures, they could include sanctions against extremist ministers , as well asthe creation ofa Palestine Donor Group with a specific instrument for the reconstruction of Gaza.
Entry into force requires the approval of a majority of the 27 EU Member States, and the decision will therefore be largely in the hands of Germany, Poland and Austria.
In total, bilateral trade reached EUR 42.6 billion last year. Israeli exports amounted to EUR 15.9 billion, almost half of which concerned machinery and transport equipment.
On the contrary, the EU exported goods to Israel worth EUR 26.7 billion (in this case 43% of the total also concerned machinery and transport equipment).
Following the intensification of the Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip, several EU states, includingSpain, called for a review of the association agreement, with reference to Article 2 thereof.
This article states that "relations between the parties, as well as all provisions of the agreement, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles ".
However, Israel has other specific areasof cooperation with the European Union, such as the Science and Research Programme (Horizon) and specific projects aimed at promoting cooperation between European countries in education, telecommunications or water management, all of which amount to an average of EUR 1.8 million per year.
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