Dear Media Watch Friends:

Some more information about the EU Israel Association
Agreement.
It's slightly out of date but gives a nice brief
overview.

For newest development just google!
Best wishes 
S

"The lynch pin of the EU/Israel relationship is the
EU-Israel Association
Agreement.  The terms of this can be read at:

http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/pri/en/oj/dat/2000/l_147/l_14720000621en00030156.pdf

The commercial section of this Agreement regulates the
flow of trade in
manufactured and agricultural products (in 1999, the
mutual volume of trade
totalled $22 billion). The Agreement maintains the
free trade area established
in 1975, and improves the terms of trade in
manufactured and agricultural
products. It also seeks to ease the terms of trade
with regard to procedures
and tariffs.

This agreement, therefore, establishes a special
relationship between the EU
and Israel and is far more financially beneficial to
the latter than any
additional aid funding - over 40% of Israel's imports
come from the EU.

Since 2002, the Green/EFA Group has called for a
suspension of the EU
Association Agreement with Israel in response to the
military escalation
pursued by the Sharon government, which violates
international and
humanitarian laws.   This includes the “apartheid
wall” which is now being
constructed on the borders of Israel and the Occupied
Territories.  The most
recent call came in March of this year.

The Greens have also consistently condemned all
indiscriminate terrorist
attacks by suicide bombers against Israel, perpetrated
by Palestinian
extremists and called on the Palestinian Authority to
make a greater effort to
prevent acts of terrorism.  The security and
recognition of the people’s of
both nations is of utmost importance.

The Group continue to call on the Commission and
Parliament to take a
more proactive role in the peace process. The EU is
seen by many in the
area as less partisan than the USA, and it is also a
major economic actor in
the area, through aid and trade.

However, rhe most recent position from the European
Commission has been
that:

“On the question of suspending the Association
Agreement with Israel, the
Commission recognises the frustration of those who
feel that things have
gone from bad to worse over the last three years. On
balance, however, it is
the Commission’s view, reflecting the views of Union
Foreign Ministers
meeting in the External Relations Council, that
suspending the agreement
would at this stage make the Israeli authorities less
rather than more
responsive to the efforts of the international
community to promote a lasting
settlement.”

For further information on the EU's relations with
Israel please see:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/israel/intro/index.htm

In addition to the suspension of the agreement, the
Greens believe that an
arms embargo against Israel is essential and have
given their explicit support
to the so-called "refusniks", Israeli reservists
refusing to serve in the
Occupied Territories.

The EU, for example, is currently funding Israel
operations to develop civil
applications of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicles (UAV). 
This takes place under
the scientific and technological agreement existing
between the Community
and Israel for the 5th Framework programme.  Community
contribution to
Israel Aircraft Industries in these research
activities amounts to EUR 1,5
million.  More recently, Israel has been brought in to
take part in a new multi-
billion dollar satellite navigation system being
developed by the EU, called
Galileo.

The Greens will continue to call for a suspension of
the EU-Israel agreement
and for an arms embargo. ... 


		
___________________________________________________________ 
Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail. "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal 
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html