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The EU Commission proposes to partially suspend Israel’s participation to Horizon Europe in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

By Yossi Lempkowicz

The Commission proposal was adopted despite the fact that Israel announced aid relief measures for Gaza to facilitate humanitarian aid coordinating with the UN and other international organizations. Including airdrops of food.

These efforts serve two aims: increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the region, and counter the disinformation campaign led by Hamas and its allies, as well as increase pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire.
The Commission proposal must be voted by a qualified majority in the EU Council to be adopted.

Bowing to pressure from anti-Israel member statesz within the EU, especially Spain and Ireland, the European Commission proposed Monday to partially suspend Israel’s participation to Horizon Europe, the EU’s flagship research and innovation initiative, in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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‘’ The suspension specifically concerns the participation of entities established in Israel in activities funded under the Accelerator of the European Innovation Council (EIC),’’ the Commission said in a press release following a closed-door meeting of the EU’s executive body.

‘’This suspension comes as a reaction to the review of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Respect for these obligations constitutes an essential part of EU-Israel cooperation under the Agreement, including for bilateral scientific and technological cooperation between the two parties,’’ the Commission added.

‘’While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains severe,’’ the Commission said, in a reference to the agreement reached last month between EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to ”significantly” increase the humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Suspending Israel from the EU research program was one of ten possible options of measures against Israel drafted by the EU’s external service earlier this month in the framework of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

At a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council on July 15, the 27 Foreign Ministers didn’t adopt any measure against Israel but Kaja Kallas said that the EU ‘’ will keep a close watch on how Israel implements this common understanding and the pledges and will update the compliance every two weeks.’’

‘’We see positive signs. We see more trucks and supplies are reaching Gaza. We see more entry points opened. We also see electricity lines being repaired. But Israel needs to take more concrete steps to improve the humanitarian situation on the ground,’’ Kallas then told reporters.

She added that ‘’if the situation is not going to improve, then the Member States are also willing to take next steps.’’

The European Commission move – if approved by member states – would be the first concrete sanctions imposed by Europe on Israel amid its war against Hamas in Gaza. A

According to an EU official, the proposal was made because the EU sees no tangible improvement of the humanitarian situation on the ground. But Israel has begun implementing significant measures to facilitate humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip coordinating with the UN and other international organizations, according to COGAT, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories. These efforts serve two aims: 1) increase the scale of humanitarian aid entering the region, and counter the disinformation campaign led by Hamas and its allies.2) Increase pressure on Hamas to reach a ceasefire.

Among the Israeli initiatives is daily humanitarian pauses in military – the pause began Sunday and will occur daily from 10:00 to 20:00, until further notice. This pause applies to areas where the IDF is not actively operating. This decision was coordinated with the UN and international organizations, said COGAT, the coordi

Israel emphasized that ‘’there is no starvation in Gaza’’ and characterized any claims to the contrary as a ‘’false campaign promoted by Hamas and its allies.’’

‘’The responsibility for food distribution within Gaza lies unequivocally with the UN and international aid organizations. Israel expects these organizations to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas,’’ Israel said.

The European Commission gesture to sanction Israel was denounced in Jerusalem by Israeli Minister of Innovation Gila Gamliel who spoke of an “irreparable damage,” warning that the move would jeopardize any ceasefire agreement.

Israel insists on the negative impact for Europe, which would be deprived of Israeli expertise in security and technology.

Israel is preparing a diplomatic counteroffensive to preserve its access to this vital program, while advocating for regional de-escalation.

The Israeli foreign ministry strongly condemned the European Commission’s proposal. This measure is described as “wrong, regrettable, and unjustified.” In a statement, Israel argues that such a decision, in the midst of the fight against Hamas’ jihadist terrorism, ‘’would only strengthen the group and jeopardize the chances of a ceasefire and the release of hostages.’’

‘’Israel is committed to working to ensure that this recommendation is not adopted by the EU Foreign Affairs Council (which is to meet informally in Copenhagen end of August), hoping for its rejection.

Israel affirmed that it will not yield to pressure regarding its national interests.

What is the Horizon Europe programme ?

The Horizon Europe programme is the EU’s flagship research and innovation initiative, designed to drive economic growth, create jobs, and enhance citizens’ lives.

The European Union and Israel have a long-standing partnership in scientific and technological cooperation. The Association Agreement, signed in Brussels on 20 November 1995 and having entered into force in June 2000, provides the legal framework for EU-Israel relations. It establishes a regular dialogue on scientific, technological, cultural, audio-visual and social matters.

In 2021, Israel joined Horizon Europe as an associated country, allowing its researchers and organisations to participate on equal terms with EU Member States. Israel has also financially contributed for its participation to the programme.

Qualified majority

When the Council of the EU votes on a proposal by the Commission or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the proposal is adopted if a qualified majority is reached.

A qualified majority is reached if two conditions are simultaneously met:

55% of member states vote in favour – in practice this means 15 out of 27
the proposal is supported by member states representing at least 65% of the total EU population
This procedure is also known as the ‘double majority rule’.

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