Spain demanded the termination of this agreement, which came into effect in 2000, co-signing with Ireland and Slovenia in a letter to the European Commission. Several members have requested it. The countries of the European Union will discuss their association agreement with Israel on Tuesday, said EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas on Monday, April 20. “Some Member States have raised this issue,” she told the press, on the eve of a meeting in Luxembourg of EU foreign ministers. Spain had demanded the termination of this association agreement on Sunday, which requires unanimous approval from the EU’s 27 member states. The European Commission also proposed a partial suspension, putting the trade aspect of the agreement on hold, a decision that can be made by a qualified majority of EU countries.
The suspension of the trade agreement was already discussed by the Twenty-Seven, but did not lead to an agreement due to a lack of majority support, with several member states, including Germany, expressing reservations. However, the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, and the offensive launched by Israel in Lebanon have prompted several countries to reconsider the issue. A potential suspension of the agreement could be revisited after the “disproportionate” Israeli strikes in Lebanon and the abuses committed by settlers in the West Bank, as stated by the French Foreign Ministry spokesperson on April 9. Madrid, on the other hand, demanded the termination of this association agreement, which came into effect in 2000, co-signing with Ireland and Slovenia in a letter to the European Commission, sent on Friday, calling for a “review” of the agreement.
