Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, trade relations between the European Union and Israel are governed by a free trade area as part of the EU-Israel association agreement. That agreement was signed as far back as 1995 and entered into force in 2000. It forms a basis for relations between the European Union and Israel, governing the trade relationship as well as including political aspects. The last association council took place in October 2022, following a delay of ten years.

In principle, if the EU and its member states formed a view that there is a serious and persistent violation of the requirement to respect human rights as an essential element of the association agreement and that the situation is one of special urgency, it could seek to rely on article 79 to suspend the agreement in whole or in part. We believe that is the case and that is why, along with the Spanish Government, we have written to the Commission to seek a review of this.

In doing so, there is a requirement to prioritise those measures which least disturb the functioning of the agreement. A Council decision would be required to suspend an association agreement, with unanimity likely to be the applicable voting rule.

We have requested that the Commission would undertake an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its obligations under the EU-Israel association agreement, which makes respect for human rights and democratic principles an essential element of the relationship and that if it considers Israel to be in breach, it would propose appropriate measures to the European Council to consider.

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