Settlements or Science? Israel's EU Diplomacy Continues

by Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders continued talks over the ongoing stalemate between Israel and the EU over settlement guidelines jeopardizing Israel's participation in lucrative Horizon 2020 research and development project.

Under the microscope: The EU is pulling support from enterprises beyond the Green Line [Illustrative] | Photo credit: Getty Images

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held two emergency consultations with senior ministers on Monday over the escalating crisis between Israel and the European Union over the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria and its immediate implications for a major scientific cooperation program between Israel and the EU. 

The meetings were held ahead of the EU's deadline at the end of this week for Israel to sign strict new funding guidelines as a condition for joining the prestigious and lucrative Horizon 2020 program. The guidelines stipulate that only Israeli institutions within the Green Line can join. 

In mid-July, the EU issued a directive urging its principal institutions and member nations to limit or suspend their economic, social and academic cooperation with Israeli institutions that operate beyond the pre-1967 borders, including in Judea and Samaria, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

The new funding guidelines, which could cost Israel billions of dollars and limit many current and future scientific programs if Israel does not sign on, go into effect in 2014. They may have a detrimental effect on Israel's participation in Horizon 2020, the EU's 80 billion euro ($108 billion) research and innovation program, which is set to take place between 2014 and 2020. 

As of June 2013, there were 1,584 Israeli participants in 1,310 EU Framework Program projects, which together will receive 636.9 million euros ($865.3 billion). 

Israel has already agreed to accede to the EU's demand to begin to implement Horizon 2020 only within the Green Line, but has been unable to convince the bloc to insert a stipulation that would limit this decree only to Horizon 2020 and not all other future EU programs. At this stage, Israel is not prepared to sign an agreement as long as the Europeans continue to discriminate against Judea and Samaria. 

Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri, International, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Education Minister Shay Piron and Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin participated in the consultations, which focused on Israel's perception of the EU's refusal to show the necessary flexibility and facilitate Israel's inclusion in Horizon 2020. 

According to reports, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Elkin are against "capitulating" to the EU's guidelines. 

"If Israel accepts these terms we will face a problem later on," Lieberman said.

"This goes beyond a practical question, there are principles involved. If we accept this [demand] from the EU, we'll face similar demands from other countries tomorrow," Elkin added, according to Army Radio.

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni is to discuss the issue on Tuesday over the phone with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Peri is to fly to London on Tuesday to hold consultations with his U.K. counterparts. Walla News reported that as of Monday, Netanyahu was backing Livni and Peri's recommendations to continue to find a way to soften the EU's position against Lieberman and Elkin's position.

Peri however, believed that bowing out of Horizon 2020 altogether would deal the Israeli scientific community a crushing blow. Livni, Lapid and Manuel Trajtenberg, who serves as head of the National Economic Council, supported Peri's position.

A political source told Israel Hayom that while Israel was eager to participate in Horizon 2020, it would be unable to do so unless the EU changed its funding policies on institutions in Judea and Samaria. At this point, the source said, Israel's efforts to persuade Europe on the matter would continue. 

Lars Faaborg-Andersen, Denmark's ambassador to the EU's political and security council, was quoted by the Irish Times as saying, "Both sides are striving for a pragmatic and mutually acceptable arrangement which would allow Israel to join by the time Horizon 2020 starts on Jan. 1, 2014."

Israel and the EU have enjoyed close scientific cooperation in the past. Israel was expected to be the only non-EU member participating in the Horizon 2020 project. The heads of Israeli academia are worried that should Israel and the EU not reach an agreement over the project, Israeli academia would find it hard to source funding for scientific research. 

Shlomo Cesana and Israel Hayom Staff

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=13579

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