After months of foot-dragging, the European Commission on Thursday (10 July) finally put out options to restrict EU trade with Israel’s illegal settlements. EU foreign ministers will discuss them on Monday (13 July).
The move responds to repeated requests from a growing majority of member states.
But by offering a menu of inconclusive options, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and trade commissoner Maroš Šefčovič have once again postponed the key step: to table a proper legislative proposal.
Of the three options floated by the commission – an import-licensing regime, higher tariffs, and a trade ban – only the last one makes legal and practical sense.
The EU’s long-standing position is that Israel’s expanding settlements are illegal in their entirety and undermine peace. If that is the case, their products should not be allowed into the EU market, full stop.
