The review of the agreement made by the EU Commission will be presented to the countries' foreign ministers on Monday. Leaked pieces have already given a clear indication of the result.
The review is ready, the member states have received it and we will discuss further how we will interpret it and what we will do with it, explains the EU's Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas on her way to the meeting in Brussels.
I think they will conclude that Israel's actions are contrary to Article 2 of the association agreement, notes Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (The Moderate Party) at the same time.
”Children are starving”
Demands have already been made to pause or even terminate the agreement, which governs both political and economic cooperation with Israel. Malmer Stenergard, however, sees the review primarily as an opportunity to put pressure on the Israelis to act.
The most important thing is that we see a significant change and that food, medicine, and water now enter Gaza. We cannot watch while children starve, says the Foreign Minister.
She wants the Commission to present different alternatives on how to move forward, but does not want to go into what she would support in that case.
It's a hypothetical question. What I want is that we get proposals now on how one could move forward to achieve results, because that's what matters to me, says Malmer Stenergard.
Germany says no
She does not seem to expect a pause proposal from the Commission.
I have difficulty seeing that they would do that in this situation, but that question we will of course take a stand on later, says the Foreign Minister.
The question of the next step is expected to be discussed during the week also by the EU countries' heads of state and government, in the hope of being able to reach an agreement at the next meeting of foreign ministers in mid-July.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is, however, clear that his country does not want to tear up the agreement.
– We need this association agreement and should not question it. But the humanitarian situation must be addressed, says Wadephul in Brussels.
Wiktor Nummelin/TT
Facts: EU and Israel
TT
The EU and Israel have had an association agreement since 2000 that regulates economic and political cooperation.
In the agreement, it is stipulated, among other things, that cooperation "shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles".
Criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza has led to the EU Commission conducting a review of how Israel lives up to the agreement.
According to leaked information, for example, it is stated that "The blockade and siege of Gaza by Israel is equivalent to collective punishment... and can also mean that starvation is used as a weapon".
