EU Commission discusses curbs on Israel research funding amid Gaza pressure
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians gather at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a house, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
BRUSSELS - European Commissioners will on Monday discuss a proposal to partially suspend Israel's access to the EU's Horizon research funding program following calls from EU governments to increase pressure on Israel over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Multiple EU countries said last week that Israel was not living up to its commitments under an agreement with the European Union on increasing aid supplies to Gaza and asked the Commission to put concrete options on the table.
The proposal was mentioned in a published agenda of Monday's meeting of the College of Commissioners, the top decision-making body of the European Union's executive. But the Commission has not explained it in detail.
EU and Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the proposal.
Israel has been participating in the EU's research programs since 1996, taking part in thousands of joint research projects over the past decades.
Earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Israel had agreed to expand humanitarian access to Gaza, including increasing the number of aid trucks, crossing points and routes to distribution hubs.
But in a tense meeting of European ambassadors in Brussels last week, countries including France, the Netherlands and Spain said not enough was being done, according to diplomats.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Asia Thailand, Cambodia agree to 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' to de-escalate border row
Asia Gunman kills 5 near Bangkok's Chatuchak market before taking own life
Singapore Tanjong Katong sinkhole: BCA to conduct independent probe, act against any non-compliance
Singapore Foreign workers who rescued woman from sinkhole given tokens of appreciation
Singapore COE quota up 2.6% to 18,701 for August-October period
Business SIA's first-quarter profits fall by 59%; airline group sees volatile times ahead
Singapore Ong Beng Seng set to plead guilty on Aug 4 in case linked to ex-transport minister Iswaran
Singapore Jail for former pre-school teacher who tripped toddler repeatedly, causing child to bleed from nose
Earlier this month, EU officials presented a list of options that the bloc could pursue to put pressure on Israel but the bloc has so far refrained from pursuing any of them.
Israel on Sunday announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors, while Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have airdropped supplies into the enclave.
But officials and aid groups remain concerned and say much more needs to be done to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump envoy to inspect Gaza aid as pressure mounts on Israel
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox UN-backed experts have reported 'famine is now unfolding' in Gaza. JERUSALEM - President Donald Trump's envoy met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 31 ahead of a visit to inspect aid distribution in Gaza, as a deadly food crisis drove mounting international pressure for a ceasefire. Mr Steve Witkoff, who has been involved in months of stalled negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal, met Mr Netanyahu shortly after his arrival, the Israeli leader's office said. On Aug 1, he is to visit Gaza, the White House announced. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Mr Witkoff, who visited Gaza in January, would inspect 'distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear firsthand about this dire situation on the ground'. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also met Mr Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and afterwards declared: 'The humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination. 'Here, the Israeli government must act quickly, safely and effectively to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation from becoming a reality,' he said. 'I have the impression that this has been understood today.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's global trade policy faces test, hours from tariff deadline Singapore 'For one last time, let's go home': Tears, laughs as last scheduled Jetstar Asia flight touches down Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO Singapore No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding S'pore-bound ships, flights Business More new homes are coming up in northern Singapore Opinion The other struggle drug addicts face: Being labelled weak, not sick Singapore Luxury cars, watches seized during anti-vice raids; 28 arrested Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' In an example of the deadly problems facing aid efforts in Gaza, the territory's civil defence agency said that at least 58 Palestinians were killed late on July 30 when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd attempting to block an aid convoy. Hostage video The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad meanwhile released a video showing German-Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski. In the six-minute video, Mr Braslavski, speaking in Hebrew, is seen watching recent news footage of the crisis in Gaza. He identifies himself and pleads with the Israeli government to secure his release. Mr Braslavski was a security guard at the Nova music festival, one of the sites targeted by Hamas and other Palestinian fighters in the October 2023 attack that sparked the Gaza war. 'They managed to break Rom. Even the strongest person has a breaking point,' his family said in a statement released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel. 'Rom is an example of all the hostages. They must all be brought home now.' Hungry crowd The Israeli military said troops had fired 'warning shots' as Gazans gathered around the aid trucks. An AFP correspondent saw stacks of bullet-riddled corpses in Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital. Mr Jameel Ashour, who lost a relative in the shooting, told AFP at the overflowing morgue that Israeli troops opened fire after 'people saw thieves stealing and dropping food and the hungry crowd rushed in hopes of getting some'. Mr Witkoff has been the top US representative in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas but talks in Doha broke down last week and Israel and the United States recalled their delegations. Israel is under mounting international pressure to agree to a ceasefire and allow the world to flood Gaza with food, with Canada and Portugal the latest Western governments to announce plans to recognise a Palestinian state. International pressure Mr Trump criticised Canada's decision and, in a post on his Truth Social network, placed the blame for the crisis squarely on Palestinian militant group Hamas. 'The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!' declared Mr Trump, one of Israel's staunchest international supporters. Earlier this week, however, the US president contradicted Mr Netanyahu's insistence that reports of hunger in Gaza were exaggerated, warning that the territory faces 'real starvation'. UN-backed experts have reported 'famine is now unfolding' in Gaza, with images of sick and emaciated children drawing international outrage. The US State Department said it would deny visas to officials from the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank – the core of any future Palestinian state. 'This is what death looks like' The October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. Of the 251 people seized, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 declared dead by the Israeli military. The Israeli offensive, nearing its 23rd month, has killed at least 60,249 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. This week UN aid agencies said deaths from starvation had begun. The civil defence agency said Israeli attacks across Gaza on July 31 killed at least 32 people. 'Enough!' cried Mr Najah Aish Umm Fadi, who lost relatives in a strike on a camp for the displaced in central Gaza. 'We put up with being hungry, but now the death of children who had just been born?' Further north, Mr Amir Zaqot told AFP after getting his hands on some of the aid parachuted from planes, that 'this is what death looks like. People are fighting each other with knives'. 'If the crossings were opened... food could reach us. But this is nonsense,' Mr Zaqot said of the air drops. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP cannot independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence and other parties. AFP
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Britain says EU is removing tariffs on steel under quota
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LONDON - Britain said the European Union will remove tariffs on key steel products under a quota system from Friday as part of a reset of ties and a recent deal to ease trade barriers. In May, Britain agreed the most significant reset of defence and trade ties with the European Union since Brexit, which included a "bespoke arrangement" to protect UK steel exports from new EU rules and tariffs. Britain had said the European Commission would restore its country-specific steel quota to pre-2022 levels, but had not previously specified when this would take effect. Trade minister Jonathan Reynolds said the removal of tariffs was "yet another positive step forward for the UK steel sector" after the government intervened to save jobs at British Steel and struck a deal to avoid the highest U.S. steel tariffs. "Restoring our steel quota helps give producers the certainty they need to compete, grow, and maintain vital export relationships," he said. Britain said it could export up to 27,000 tonnes of steel to the EU each quarter without paying an extra tariff under the arrangement. Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, said the restoration of the quota was "excellent news", adding companies had been "plagued by problems" shipping items like support beams. Britain is yet to conclude negotiations with the United States after both sides agreed in May to work to eliminate steel tariffs on exports from Britain. British steel exports to the U.S. face tariffs of 25%, and avoided an increase to 50% thanks to its U.S. agreement, but talks to remove the tariffs have stalled due to discussions over supply chains and where British steel is "melted and poured". REUTERS
Business Times
22 minutes ago
- Business Times
Britain says EU is removing tariffs on steel under quota
[LONDON] Britain said the European Union will remove tariffs on key steel products under a quota system from Friday as part of a reset of ties and a recent deal to ease trade barriers. In May, Britain agreed the most significant reset of defence and trade ties with the European Union since Brexit, which included a 'bespoke arrangement' to protect UK steel exports from new EU rules and tariffs. Britain had said the European Commission would restore its country-specific steel quota to pre-2022 levels, but had not previously specified when this would take effect. Trade minister Jonathan Reynolds said the removal of tariffs was 'yet another positive step forward for the UK steel sector' after the government intervened to save jobs at British Steel and struck a deal to avoid the highest US steel tariffs. 'Restoring our steel quota helps give producers the certainty they need to compete, grow, and maintain vital export relationships,' he said. Britain said it could export up to 27,000 tonnes of steel to the EU each quarter without paying an extra tariff under the arrangement. Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, said the restoration of the quota was 'excellent news', adding companies had been 'plagued by problems' shipping items like support beams. Britain is yet to conclude negotiations with the United States after both sides agreed in May to work to eliminate steel tariffs on exports from Britain. British steel exports to the US face tariffs of 25 per cent, and avoided an increase to 50 per cent thanks to its US agreement, but talks to remove the tariffs have stalled due to discussions over supply chains and where British steel is 'melted and poured'. REUTERS
