92000E4018

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4018/00

by Gerardo Galeote Quecedo (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 December 2000)

Subject: Relations with the State of Israel

Relations between the Community and Israel are based on the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement signed on 20 November 1995 between the Community and the Member States, on the one hand, and the State of Israel on the other, which entered into force in June 2000. In the agreement the signatories consider the importance of the existing traditional links between the Community, its Member States and Israel and the common values that they share. They declare their desire to strengthen those links, confirm the free-trade arrangements for industrial goods, envisage new agricultural concessions, establish for the first time institutional political dialogue and agree on extending cooperation to new spheres.

Can the Commission say whether it considers that recent events in the region may change relations between the Community and Israel, as might be deduced from certain reports in the media?

Can the Commission say whether there has been any contact between Commissioner Patten and the Foreign Ministers of the Member States on this issue?

Can it say whether it has considered the possibility of imposing sanctions on Israel, or even suspending the application of the Association Agreement?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(12 January 2001)

As the Honourable Member says, the Association Agreement between the Community and Israel entered into force on 1 June 2000. It strengthens EU-Israeli ties significantly and has made a large number of cooperation activities possible.

The first Association Council meeting took place in Luxembourg on 13 June, bringing together the Israeli Prime Minister and his 15 EU partners. The Association Council confirmed the launch of a number of cooperation activities including: a meeting of customs experts on 11 September; the first meeting to negotiate greater liberalisation of agricultural trade on 6 November; the third meeting of the Scientific and Technical Joint Committee on 22 November; the first meeting of the Joint Committee on the Agreement on good laboratory practices on 27 November and the first meeting on economic dialogue on 5 December.

Recent events in the Middle East have resulted in a number of EU and European Parliament declarations, which make no mention of a change in EU-Israeli relations.

Naturally, the Commissioner for external relations and foreign ministers from the Member States meet regularly, particularly at the General Affairs Council.