The options paper was requested by the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, following a meeting with foreign ministers in Luxembourg last month. The Commission has already presented suggestions for possible trade restrictions and sanctions on “extremist” Israeli ministers, but these have so far not found the support required from member countries.
Suspending a trade agreement with Israel in its entirety or sanctioning individual politicians would require unanimous support from all 27 EU countries, and Czechia has vowed to veto any such move.
While goods from Israeli West Bank settlements are in theory excluded from preferential trade arrangements for export to the EU, capitals have raised concerns that they could be benefiting from those terms by not being properly labelled or monitored.
Foreign ministers will discuss the proposals at a summit in Brussels on July 13.
“It’s a symbolic measure,” said one EU official critical of the proposals, granted anonymity to speak freely. “To do a symbolic measure now is too little, too late — and when they have elections, it’s driving the rhetoric that Israel’s hardline ministers want.” Israel holds a parliamentary election in October.