Ahead of the key meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday (13 July), the European Commission has circulated an options paper exploring ways to restrict trade between the EU and Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank.
This option paper follows calls from several member states for measures to comply with international law.
An import licensing regime, higher tariffs, and a trade ban on imports from Israeli settlements are the main options on the table for EU foreign ministers to discuss, several sources close to the negotiations told EUobserver.
And the legal basis for implementing the trade restrictions is at the heart of the debate, as it could open the door to a potential agreement that does not require unanimity – proven impossible to achieve in the past.
The pressure on the EU has intensified since the July 2024 International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion stated that countries have “the obligation … to abstain from entering into economic or trade dealings with Israel” concerning settlements in occupied territories and “take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation”.
