Bruxelles resta divisa sullo stop al commercio con le colonie israeliane

On Monday, 13 July, EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss the possible imposition of sanctions on Israel, particularly in relation to its settlements in the West Bank.

In recent months, member states’ stance towards Israel has hardened due to its failure to bring to an end the hostilities that have been ongoing in Palestine for almost three years.

At least 10 EU member states, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, argue that the EU has an obligation to halt trade with the occupied territories, following a 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice calling on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories “as rapidly as possible”. The ruling identified numerous violations of international law by Israel, including activities that amounted to a form of apartheid.

These pressures were reflected in the statements made by Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who stated shortly before the meeting began: “All 27 Member States agree that Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. Current EU policies have not significantly contributed to limiting trade with the settlements.”

A document circulated by the European Commission ahead of the meeting proposed three possible measures aimed at tightening restrictions on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements, which are already excluded from the EU’s preferential tariff regime.

The EU already applies a policy of “differentiation” to goods produced in the settlements, meaning that these products are not eligible for the preferential tariffs granted to goods manufactured in Israel and do not fall within the scope of the EU-Israel trade and cooperation framework, known as the Association Agreement.

The measures proposed at Monday’s meeting included increased controls on goods imported into the EU from the settlements, the imposition of significantly higher tariffs on such goods and, finally, a ban on all imports from the illegal settlements.

However, the outcome of the meeting was not positive. Kallas herself stated that the proposal to ban trade with the settlements had “gained support” among member states. However, there was no clear majority in favour of any single option. The High Representative also expressed frustration at the inability to take an immediate decision due to the position of the Commission.

In this regard, the von der Leyen Commission has resisted various attempts to impose new trade barriers on Israel and did not present EU countries with any formal measures to vote on during Monday’s meeting.

The Commission has been accused by critics of obstructing a decision on banning trade in settlement products, arguing that such a ban requires the unanimous support of member states rather than a qualified majority — that is, the support of 55% of member states representing 65% of the EU population.

The member states remain once again divided on the issue. Countries such as Spain, Belgium and Ireland support a complete suspension of economic relations with Israel. The Netherlands and France, taking a more cautious approach, are calling for the suspension of trade agreements only with regard to goods originating from the occupied territories. Other countries, including Italy and Germany, oppose blocking EU trade agreements and instead favour pursuing diplomatic dialogue.

At present, economic relations between the European Union and Israel are governed by the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which entered into force in 2000. With more than 34% of Israeli imports originating in the EU and 28.8% of Israeli exports destined for the EU, Europe is Israel’s largest trading partner. In 2024, total trade in goods between the EU and Israel amounted to €42.6 billion.

By contrast, according to media estimates, exports from Israeli settlements to the EU amount to between €150 million and €250 million per year, although the European Commission does not have precise data. An export ban would represent a financial blow to approximately 45 individual businesses operated by Israeli settlers.

The scope of the sanctions would be largely symbolic, but their significance should nevertheless not be underestimated. Such a measure would represent the EU’s first substantial stance towards Israel.

However, the outcome of Monday, 13 July, demonstrates how ideologically divided the Union remains, despite the efforts made by various member states to take action on the issue.

Some states have already adopted trade restrictions on settlement goods on their own initiative. However, national bans have limited effectiveness because of the free movement of goods within the EU.

The EU has long adopted trade policy measures whose primary objective is not economic in nature, but rather to contribute to the protection of human rights. The EU has suspended trade preferences for countries such as Cambodia and Sri Lanka because of human rights or labour rights violations, and has placed other countries, such as Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan, under close monitoring. These are not foreign policy measures, but rather the strict application of the EU’s own trade policy.

As argued by several specialists in the field, this move would constitute a measure aimed at ensuring the consistency of EU trade policy with international law, as provided for by the EU’s founding treaties.

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