Dombrovskis: “No proposal to ban products from Israeli settlements”

Brussels – The logic and bilateral relations between the European Union and Israel will not change, even in light of an ongoing conflict and tensions resulting from the  position of the Jewish state on the two-state solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict that the EU does not like. The EU will continue trade with Israeli settlers in Palestinian territories. “The Commission has no intention of submitting a proposal to ban settlement products from entering the EU single market,” Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovski, said, responding to a parliamentary question from the LaSinistra benches.

The EU executive basically intends to leave its relations with Israel as they are. While not recognizing Israeli settlements as part of the Jewish state, the EU will not change its bilateral political and trade relations. The EU-Israel Association Agreement provides preferential tariff treatments, i.e., reduced duties on imports of Israeli goods and products. A favorable treatment that does not, however, apply to the ‘Made in Israel’ from the settlements, whose origin is on the label. And it will not change.

“The new EU Customs Tariff Code (TARIC) introduced in 2023 aims to facilitate and improve compliance with this distinction by EU importers,” Dombrovskis added. The policy will remain the one adopted so far. Import duties on everything related to settlements as a way to distance the EU from a policy (of colonies) it condemns.