martinkonecny.bsky.social
Running EuMEP (European Middle East Project) in Brussels, promoting just & fact-based EU policy on Israel/Palestine. www.eumep.org
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Full EU statement: data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document...
On how the EU can use Article 2 to apply leverage: bsky.app/profile/mart...
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This won't be easy. But only if states move in this direction will Israel likely start paying attention to that long list of EU concerns & appeals.
Alternative is for the EU to stay irrelevant and see the crisis on its doorstep quickly deteriorate further & blow up in EU's face.
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A simple majority (14 states) can force @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu's EC to propose suspending trade privileges under EU-Israel association agreement, based on Israel's gross violation of Article 2 (human rights clause). Qualified majority of states would then be needed to approve it.
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If Israel doesn't positively address the EU concerns & appeals w/in a month - or makes things even worse - thus showing that dialogue in the Association Council had no effect, the EU should start applying consequences.
A simple majority of member states can take the first step.
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www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
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See also letter by 100+ NGOs asking the EU to make Israel's violation of Art. 2 the main focus of the AC meeting on Monday. /end
www.oxfam.org/en/letters-a...
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They can't say they didn't know. EU has an internal assessment, shared with all member states, leaving no doubt Israel is in grave breach of Art. 2👇
Also: Good luck to EU trying to act on human rights clauses in agreements with other countries after this.
theintercept.com/2024/12/23/e...
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Not holding my breath Kallas will play this card, bar perhaps a few member states.
But this is to say they have the option. They can make clear they'll push to act on Art. 2 if Israel ignores EU concerns.
Staying irrelevant is not a necessity. It's EU's political choice.
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On the contrary, the EU will as usual praise its close trade & research relations with Israel - avoiding any link between political concerns & the economic relationship.
But if it wants to have any influence on the crisis on its doorstep, it has to make that link and use Art. 2.
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It's clear that merely raising these concerns won't have any effect. At the last AC with Israel in 2022, EU also called for a halt to settlements, demolitions and settler violence. Since then, all have skyrocketed.
That's because there are no consequences tied to EU words.
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At the AC meeting, EU will recite many appeals to Israel: to uphold Gaza ceasefire, allow return of displaced Gazans, halt settlements, demolitions & violence in West Bank, lift econ. restrictions on PA, allow access to holy sites, media access to Gaza, respect Syria buffer zone, etc.
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Even this is a tall order given EU disunity. But that doesn't prevent @kajakallas and some EU FMs from playing this card at the AC with Israel on Monday.
They can invoke Art. 2 and raise prospect of action on that basis. If they want Israel to pay attention, it's the only way.
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Suspending the full Association Agreement would require unanimity of all member states. But suspending the trade provisions - the key part - only requires qualified majority. And as a first step, a simple majority of member states can force the Commission to table such proposal.
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One year ago, following the ICJ order warning of a risk of genocide in Gaza, Spain and Ireland wrote to @vonderleyen to act on the human rights clause in the EU-Israel agreement and propose appropriate measures. To this day she hasn't responded. www.lamoncloa.gob.es/lang/en/pres...
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Violation of Art. 2 provides basis for EU to take "appropriate measures" - code word for suspending parts or all of the agreement.
This isn't theory. Since 90s, EU has used human rights clauses to impose such measures in at least 25 cases around the world, mainly Africa.
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Art. 2 is the human rights clause, similar as in most EU agreements with third countries. It says the Agreement is based on "respect for human rights & democratic principles" which is an "essential element" of it. Moreover, preamble says UN Charter principles form "the very basis" of it.
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It can, of course. EU is Israel's biggest trading partner (32% of imports, 26% of exports in 2022).
The key to using this leverage lies in Article 2 of EU-Israel Association Agreement.
The AA is the basis for EU-Israel relationship, esp. trade on preferential terms.