Relations between the European Union and Israel continue to deteriorate. What you need to know

Germany and Italy opposed the initiative to suspend the cooperation agreement with Israel, which was put forward by Spain, Slovenia and Ireland. This is not the first time that the EU has tried to "punish" Israel for indiscriminate attacks on Gaza and the killing of civilians, but each time the initiative has failed due to the lack of a unified position among the Union countries. Why, despite the disapproval of Tel Aviv's actions, the EU cannot sever its ties with Israel, and what the parties face from the deterioration of relations — in the Izvestia article.

Initiative from below

• The leaders of Spain and Ireland are actually voicing the opinion of the streets: anti-Israeli protests and attacks on synagogues are increasingly taking place in European countries. The initiative to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel is coming from "below." The collection of signatures for the relevant petition on the platform for civil initiatives began on January 13, 2026 and by April had gained more than 1 million votes, exceeding the required threshold for consideration by the European Commission.

• Previously, Belgium, Slovenia, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Sweden supported the revision of the agreement with Israel — these countries officially recognized the State of Palestine, which caused a sharp reaction from Israel and statements about the growth of anti-Semitism in Europe. The negative background around Israel intensified after the start of the operation in Lebanon and the adoption by the Knesset in late March of a law on the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism without the right to pardon.

• This is not the first attempt by the EU to suspend the Association Agreement. In September 2025, the European Commission launched such an initiative: it was proposed to suspend the trade component of the agreement in order to put pressure on Israel due to the ongoing war in Gaza. At that time, Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic opposed such a decision, which prevented the creation of a qualified majority (at least 55% of the member states representing at least 65% of the total EU population) necessary for the adoption of the initiative. Important arms contracts with Israel also played a significant role (we discussed this in more detail here).

Rupture risks for Israel

• The suspension of the association with the EU may mean more difficult access to European markets for Israel and the termination of financial support and cooperation in the field of science and technology. The European Union is the largest trading partner for Israel — in 2024, 32% of the total trade volume of the state accounted for the EU countries. Imports from Europe dominated exports: 34.2% of imported products from the EU against 28.8% of exported Israeli goods.

How Europe is facing the energy crisis and who it will affect. Analysis

• At the same time, 60% of Israeli products will in any case be imported to Europe duty-free in accordance with WTO rules, but all other exports, including Israeli machinery, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, may be subject to additional duties in the amount of €227 million per year. In addition, Israel risks losing EU bilateral funding under the European Neighbourhood and International Cooperation Policy (NDICI-GE): from 2021 to 2024, Tel Aviv received €32 million under this program.

• Israel may also lose access to the European scientific program Horizon Europe and funding for its research In July 2025, due to the blockade of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, the European Commission proposed suspending grant support to Israel under the program, but the initiative was blocked by four EU countries, including Germany. Since 2021, €1.11 billion has been allocated to Israeli companies, universities and government agencies for the implementation of 921 projects under this program. At the same time, 231 projects were supported by companies closely associated with the Israeli army, including the Israeli Ministry of Defense, although the program does not involve funding research for military purposes. Exclusion from the program would mean not only the loss of European grants, but also the loss of access to European scientific infrastructure and international cooperation.

Risks of rupture for the EU

• For Europe, the suspension of the Association Agreement with Israel primarily causes political losses. Israel is a strategic ally of the EU in the Middle East and, thanks to the "Abraham Agreements", has influence on the Persian Gulf countries. The region is important for the EU both as a promising market and as a supplier of energy and other minerals. The EU has to balance its rhetoric, as excessive pressure on Israel can lower the level of relations and lead to the fact that the bloc will actually lose its influence in the Middle East and be excluded from both mediation and consultations on important issues.

• The suspension of the agreement could affect international military cooperation and intelligence: European intelligence services cooperate with Israel on cybersecurity and the identification of terrorists in the EU. Also in question are the defense ambitions of the European Union, which is considering the possibility of creating its own military alliance in the event of the collapse of NATO. In 2024, Israel supplied 54% of its total arms exports to Europe. At the same time, the EU is trying to rely on the production of weapons and defense systems within the bloc: the new program implies preferences for participating countries when purchasing weapons manufactured within the EU.

• The conflict over Israel is not beneficial to the EU, as it leads to a split between the member countries of the bloc. While Spain, Ireland and the Scandinavian countries support the suspension of the association agreement with Israel, Italy and Germany, the largest European arms suppliers to Israel, as well as the Czech Republic, which has military cooperation with the Jewish state, are opposed. At the same time, the leader of the Tisa party that won the elections in Hungary, Peter Magyar, said that his country could arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the event of his visit. Such different positions reinforce the split within the EU, undermine its unity and, as a result, do not allow active action in the international arena.

• Due to the inability to put pressure on Israel and comply with the ICC's demand, which is actually being sabotaged by most of the bloc's members, the European Union is losing its reputation as a defender of international law. The bloc's members and associated EU members are looking for their own ways to "punish" Israel: they impose sanctions against Israeli officials, restrict purchases of Israeli weapons or supplies of their defense products to the country. However, apart from these symbolic steps and loud statements from the stands, the European Union will no longer be able to act as before, held back by disagreements. This is how political risks for the bloc turn into reputational ones.