STOCKHOLM: Sweden on Thursday called on the EU to suspend the trade part of its association agreement with Israel over its conduct of the war in Gaza.
“The situation in Gaza is absolutely appalling, and Israel is failing to fulfil its most basic obligations and agreements on emergency aid,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a post to X.
“Sweden therefore demands that the EU freeze the trade section of the association agreement as soon as possible,” Kristersson said, calling on the Israeli government to allow “unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
The EU’s association agreement with Israel is a framework for trade and political relations. The bloc is Israel’s largest trading partner, accounting for nearly a third of Israel’s global trade, according to EU data.
Kristersson’s statement comes two days after a similar stance was taken by the Netherlands.
