Parliamentarians sign letter to Ashton

A total of 27 MEPs have signed a letter to Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, urging the European Commission to reconsider its Settlement Guidelines that restrict the funding of Israeli institutions operating in the Occupied Territories.

In the letter, the Parliamentarians ask the Commission to reverse certain elements of the guidelines which will come into force on 1 January 2014. The guidelines in their current form will prevent Israeli entities operating in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights from receiving grants, prizes and financial instruments funded by the EU from 2014 onwards.

The MEPs call on Ashton to: “to take all the necessary steps to withdraw the commission guidelines or, at the very least, to come to terms with the government of Israel to ensure that their implementation will reflect the deep bilateral relations between the EU and Israel and would by no means harm them.”

According to AFP, the local Haaretz newspaper has stated that Israel has provided the Commission with a “final proposal for the wording of the agreement governing Israeli scientific co-operation and participation in the joint Horizon 2020 initiative.”

A decision on whether the country will participate in Horizon 2020 is expected by the end of the week to ensure its involvement in the next framework programme from its start on 1 January 2014.