European Union and Israeli high level delegations met Thursday in Brussels to continue negotiations on Israel’s participation in the EU’s flagship Horizon 2020 programme, a 80 billion euro research and innovation project aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness as part of the drive to create new growth and jobs.
It was the second meeting this week. The first took place earlier this week in Jerusalem where the officials discussed the new EU guidelines prohibiting Israeli entities based beyond the Green Line from receiving EU prizes, grants or financing.
Before deciding on its participation in the Horizon 2020 programme, Israel is seeking clarifications and flexibility from the EU on the new guidelines.
The EU new guidelines, published in July but meant to take effect on January 2014, require any future agreements between Israel and the EU (such as the participation in Horizon 2020) to include a clause in which Israel accepts the European Union’s position that all territory over the Green Line does not belong to Israel, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, a requirement that is contrary to the Israeli government policy.
When the guidelines were published by the EU Commission in July, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel would not accept foreign directives.
“We will not accept any foreign dictates about our borders. This matter will only be determined through direct negotiation between the two sides”, he said.
And last month, Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said Israel could not sign on the Horizon 2020 research partnership unless the EU removed the clause from its guidelines that requires Israel to acknowledge the country does not extend over the Green Line.
“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,” Elkin then said.
After Tuesday’s talks, an EU official told EJP that ‘’there was a fruitful discussion'' on the issue of the EU guidelines.
‘’Both sides explained their positions and expressed their willingness to find solutions to any potential difficulties. The talks will continue in Brussels on Thursday in the framework of negotiations on Israel's participation in Horizon 2020,’’ said Maja Kocijancic, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Last week, Ashton stressed, after a meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Vilnius during which he urged the EU to postpone the guidelines to avoid jeopardizing current Israel-Palestinians peace talks between, that the EU would not be rescinding the guidelines. However, she added a positive note: “We, of course, want to continue to have a strong relationship with Israel.” She then decided to send a team to Israel to make sure the implementation of the ban is done “very sensitively.”
According to an informed source, talks on the implementation of the EU guidelines will continue as an agreement on Israel’s participation in the Horizon 2020 programme would have to be signed by mid-November. The programme is scheduled to start in 2014.
The European Commission said Thursday that "each side will go back to consult and check the various options discussed today," with a view to holding more talks "as soon as possible."
The EU delegation was led by Pierre Vimont, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic service, and Christian Berger, EEAS director for North Africa and the Middle East. The Israeli team was led by Foreign Ministry Director-General Rafi Barak and Deputy Director-General Ran Curiel, a former Israeli ambassador to the EU.