OR Commission suggested today (17.9.2025) the suspension of the trade agreement with the Israel because of the war in Gaza.
Specifically, following the announcement of President of the Commission Ursula von der Layen in her speech on the EU situation, the Commission today presented to the Council its proposal for the suspension of certain trade provisions of the connection agreement between the EU and Israel (“Agreement”), as well as the imposition of the imposition of the Ministers.
The Commission also suspends its bilateral support for Israel, with the exception of support for civil society and Yad Vashem. Specifically, this affects the future annual distributions between 2025 and 2027, as well as current institutional cooperation projects with Israel and the projects funded under the EU -Israel regional cooperation mechanism.
The proposals follow the review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the Agreement, which concluded that the actions of the Israeli government constitute a violation of key elements related to the respect for human rights and democratic authorities. This gives the EU the right to unilaterally suspend the agreement.
Specifically, this violation concerns the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Gaza after Israel’s military intervention, the exclusion of humanitarian aid, the intensification of military operations and the decision of the Israeli authorities to promote the settlement plan in the so -called E1 area of the West.
The suspension relates to the basic commercial provisions of the agreement and in practice means that imports from Israel will lose their preferential access to the EU market. Therefore, these products will be subject to duties at the level applied to any other third country with which the EU has not entered into a free trade agreement.
EU foreign policy leader Kaya Calla also proposed a package of sanctions against two Israeli ministers, as well as violent settlers and members of Hamas.
European Commission President Ursula von der Laien said: “The horrible events that take place daily in Gaza must stop. Immediate ceasefire must be achieved, unlimited access to all humanitarian aid and release all hostages held by Hamas. The European Union remains the largest donor of humanitarian aid and a steady supporter of the solution of the two states. By reflecting these commitments of the Authority and taking into account the serious recent developments in the West Bank, we propose the suspension of commercial concessions to Israel, the imposition of sanctions on extremist ministers and violent settlers, and the suspension of bilateral support for Israel or Israel.