Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)
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To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will comment on the de-facto upgrade of the EU-Israel Association Agreement strengthening trade relations between the two. [42126/12]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Deputy may be referring to some misleading media reports following the meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council on 24 July. In June 2009, at the urging of Ireland and other partners, the EU Foreign Affairs Council decided not to proceed at that time with an ‘upgrade’ in EU-Israel relations which had been agreed in principle the previous year. This ‘upgrade’ referred to a stepping-up of political-level contacts between the EU and Israel. The then Minister for Foreign Affairs made very clear in the Dáil that it was accepted by Ireland and others that the freezing of the ‘upgrade’ did not include the continued normal development of routine technical cooperation with Israel under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It was made clear also that, had this not been accepted, other partners would not have agreed to put the ‘upgrade’ on hold.

This type of routine cooperation, which the EU seeks to advance with all of its neighbours, involves technical cooperation to align administrative systems more closely (generally in terms of the other country adopting EU norms and standards), and removing barriers to trade, movement of persons etc. It is an intrinsic objective of the EU, for the mutual benefit of both sides, and is not intended as a reward for good conduct on the part of the other party. Similar Association Agreements are in place between the EU and most of its immediate neighbours. Action Plans under the Agreements, setting out details of cooperation, are routinely renewed and updated as progress unfolds.

Pending the negotiation of a new full-scale Action Plan with Israel to cover such areas of technical cooperation, the European Commission had for almost two years been discussing with Israel the areas where further cooperation might be advanced within the framework of the existing Association Agreement. The Association Council on 24 July simply agreed the list of such areas of possible cooperation, as it emerged from these official-level talks. It should also be noted that what was agreed in July was a list of areas where cooperation can be explored and advanced, not a set of actual agreements and measures.

The proposed ‘upgrade’ frozen in 2009 remains frozen. What was agreed in July 2012 was not covered by the 2009 decision and is entirely within the scope of the existing Association Agreement.