Members of the European Parliament urged the European Commission on Tuesday to present a legislative proposal halting trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements. Lawmakers meeting at a session of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade in Brussels argued that the European Union has a legal obligation under international law to stop supporting settlement activities.
INTA Chair Bernd Lange criticized the commission for allegedly using the absence of a qualified majority in the council as a reason not to initiate legislation. He pointed to the legislative process on phasing out Russian liquefied natural gas imports, saying the commission had presented that proposal without first establishing whether sufficient support existed among member states.
It is totally unacceptable that in this case the commission is blocking and hiding behind this discussion in secret with the council, Lange told the committee.
Spanish lawmaker Hana Jalloul Muro said declarations, labeling requirements, and partial measures were insufficient. She called for an immediate and binding European Union-wide instrument consistent with international law.
Stop hiding behind excuses about qualified majorities, unanimity, and endless procedural discussions, such arguments are unacceptable in the face of the scale of this problem, both in terms of international law and the dignity and credibility of our institutions, Muro said. It is unacceptable for the European Union to be aware of its obligations and still fail to act.
She also warned that lawmakers were prepared to take the commission and council to the European Union Court of Justice over their alleged failure to act.
Dutch lawmaker Catarina Vieira similarly criticized the commission, stating that no meaningful progress had been made on trade measures against products from illegal Israeli settlements during the previous five months. She argued that improving the tracking and labeling of these goods would not address the underlying problem, insisting that the bloc should halt the trade rather than simply improve monitoring.
Vieira stressed that the commission could propose a trade ban under the bloc common commercial policy without first securing a qualified majority among member states.
Irish lawmaker Barry Andrews questioned the commission position that a lack of agreement among member states prevented it from presenting a legislative proposal. Why is there no proposal, Andrews asked, urging the commission to put forward legislation and allow the parliament and council to negotiate its provisions.
Responding to lawmakers, European External Action Service official Vladimir Janecek said the situation in Gaza remained catastrophic and conditions in the occupied West Bank had further deteriorated, citing expanding illegal settlement plans and increasingly organized violence by extremist occupiers.
Janecek added that proposals to suspend certain trade-related provisions of the European Union-Israel Association Agreement, impose sanctions on extremist Israeli ministers and occupiers, and suspend bilateral financial support to Israel remained on the table, although only the sanctions against extremist occupiers had been adopted, due to a lack of consensus among member states.
