Minister: Israel to decline H2020 involvement

Israel looks set to reject new European Commission guidelines governing how resources are distributed in the country, thereby endangering its participation in Horizon 2020.

According to reports by the Associated Press, the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said his country would rather forego millions of euros of research funding than agree to the new rules set down by the European Commission. Its estimated Israel would receive €1bn in research funding from Brussels under Horizon 2020.

Speaking on Israel Radio, Elkin said: “We want to sign and we are ready to negotiate, but if the conditions are as they are today, which are unprecedented…we can’t sign.”

Last month, the EU issued new procedures which state: “only Israeli entities having their place of establishment within Israel’s pre-1967 borders will be eligible” to receive future EU grants, prizes and financial instruments. If Israel does not agree to the new rules, it looks unlikely that the country will be able to participate in Horizon 2020.

A member of the opposition left-wing dovish Meretz Party said the government should not be willing to endanger the country’s participation in the next framework programme. In comments carried also on Israel radio, Zehava Galon said: “This is what a sinking ship looks like when its captains decide to establish the State of Judea (biblical term for the West Bank) while destroying the future of Israel. This is destroying the scientific future of Israel, Israeli research.”

A spokesman for the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton said the Commission was willing to discuss the new guidelines, adding that the Union “looks forward to continued successful EU-Israel co-operation”.

Specific negotiations between the Commission and Israeli government on Horizon 2020 are set to begin in the next few days.

The Occupied Territories, the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, are home to 560,000 Israelis.