At Tuesday’s EU ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels, a European Commission Gaza proposal to deny Israel partial access to the EU’s €95 billion Horizon Europe research fund did not receive the required qualified majority support.
The agreement would deny Israel access to future grants and investments totaling €200 million in Horizon’s European Investment Council (EIC), which focuses on disruptive technology. Berlin and Rome officials, however, stated that they must further review the Commission’s proposal. Germany or Italy must have a larger population in order for a qualified majority vote to pass.
Two people familiar with the situation claimed that Germany and Italy both stated that they needed more time and that they would notify the EU if they changed their minds in the upcoming weeks. The reports said that Hungary, Bulgaria, and Czechia were against any action.
The Commission’s plan was endorsed by the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Portugal, Malta, and Spain, and some of them stated that they would also pressure the EU for more severe sanctions, possibly in trade, according to the sources.
An EU study that found Israel had violated its human rights duties under the EU-Israel Association Agreement prompted the Commission to move to suspend the country’s participation in Horizon.
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