EU Proposes Curbs on Israel Research Funding over Gaza Crisis
Multiple EU countries said last week that Israel was not living up to its commitments under an agreementwith the European Union on increasing aid supplies to Gaza and asked the European Commission to put concrete options on the table.
The proposal to partially suspend Israel's participation in the Horizon Europe programme needs approval from a qualified majority of EU countries to take effect – at least 15 of the EU's 27 members, representing at least 65% of its population.
The European Commission said in a statement that the proposal comes as a reaction to a review of Israel's compliance with the human rights clause of an agreement governing its relations with the EU.
The bloc's diplomatic service said in June that there were indications that Israel had breached its obligations under the terms of the pact.
'While Israel has announced a daily humanitarian pause in Gaza fighting and has met some of its commitments under the common understanding on humanitarian aid and access, the situation remains severe,' the Commission said on Monday.
The U.N.'s World Food Programme has said that almost 470,000 people in Gaza are enduring famine-like conditions, with 90,000 women and children in need of specialist nutrition treatments.
The Israeli government has rejected international criticism of its policies in the enclave.
Israel's foreign ministry said in a post on social media platform X on Monday that the Commission's move was 'mistaken, regrettable, and unjustified' and that it hoped EU member countries would not adopt the proposal.
Israel has been participating in the EU's research programs since 1996, taking part in thousands of joint projects over the past decades.
The Commission said the proposal would impact the participation of Israeli entities in the bloc's European Innovation Council Accelerator 'which targets start-ups and small businesses with disruptive innovations and emerging technologies that have potential dual-use applications, such as in cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence'.
It did not say how much funding would be affected by the proposed freeze.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Diplomat
2 hours ago
- The Diplomat
Bangladesh's Post-Hasina Foreign Policy Reset
Following Sheikh Hasina's exit from power in August 2024, Bangladesh began reshaping its foreign policy, gradually moving away from its India-centric posture and pursuing a more diversified diplomatic approach. The interim government has sought to deepen engagement with China, Pakistan, and Western powers such as the United States and the European Union. India, long considered a supporter of Hasina's regime, now faces criticism from Bangladeshis who accuse it of meddling. A major milestone came during Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' visit to China in March 2025. The trip underscored Beijing's emergence as a key economic partner. Bangladesh secured $2.1 billion in loans, investments, and grants, including $400 million for the modernization of Mongla Port and $350 million for the Chinese Industrial Economic Zone in Chattogram. Eight MoUs were signed, covering areas such as infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing, and hydrological data sharing related to the Yarlung Tsangpo-Yamuna River. Notably, China's renewed interest in the Teesta River project – long stalled due to tensions with India – illustrates Dhaka's strategic pivot toward Beijing as a counterweight to Indian influence. Other outcomes included an extension of duty-free access for 99 percent of Bangladeshi exports until 2028, discussions to reduce interest rates on Chinese loans, and talks on setting up Chinese factories in textiles, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. Moreover, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency recently warned that China is considering establishing a military presence in several countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Myanmar. However, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has dismissed the report, denying that China has any such intentions regarding Bangladesh. The potential launch of a direct Chittagong-Kunming flight and a boost in cultural exchanges further solidified this evolving partnership. China also reiterated support for Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue, aligning with Dhaka's push for international cooperation. China has also engaged with Bangladesh's political actors. In June and July 2025, both the BNP and JI sent delegations to China at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party. The BNP team, led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, held high-level meetings with CCP Politburo member Li Hongzhong, who extended an invitation to the BNP's acting chairman, Tarique Rahman. Around the same time, a high level JI delegation focused on party-to-party governance exchanges and future development projects. These visits reflect Beijing's effort to build ties across Bangladesh's political spectrum as the BNP and JI gain momentum in the post-Hasina landscape. At the same time, Bangladesh has rekindled relations with Pakistan, which were strained under Hasina due to historical baggage from the 1971 Liberation War. Since August 2024, bilateral trade has grown, with new cooperation in construction, food, pharmaceuticals, and IT. The formation of a joint business council and Pakistan's offer of 300 fully funded scholarships signal growing warmth. Defense ties have also progressed, with January 2025 talks on joint exercises and potential procurement of JF-17 Thunder jets as part of Bangladesh's Forces Goal 2030 modernization plan. In a further sign of shifting regional dynamics, a trilateral meeting took place in Kunming in June, involving representatives from China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Although Dhaka declined to join any alliance, the timing suggests growing coordination. These developments point to Beijing's broader ambition to reshape the strategic landscape in South Asia through Pakistan and Bangladesh, leveraging its economic and political clout to challenge India's traditional dominance. This recent activity of China's strategic presence has not gone unnoticed in New Delhi. Yunus' earlier remarks in China, describing Bangladesh as a gateway to India's Northeast and an extension of China's economy, have only amplified Indian anxieties. In Bangladesh, the perception that India supported Hasina's regime has deepened public mistrust. Bangladesh's relations with India have thus sharply deteriorated. Tensions were exacerbated by Dhaka's demand for Hasina's extradition. The interim government wants her returned to Bangladesh to face charges related to corruption and human rights abuses during her tenure. India's reluctance to comply, citing legal and diplomatic complexities, has fueled accusations in Bangladesh that it is shielding a discredited leader. This standoff has deepened anti-India sentiment, with many Bangladeshis viewing New Delhi's stance as evidence of continued interference in their country's affairs. Efforts to stabilize bilateral ties have been hampered by mutual distrust and competing narratives. India has expressed unease over Bangladesh's warming relations with China and Pakistan, particularly the trilateral Kunming meeting, which New Delhi may perceive as a deliberate attempt to counterbalance its influence. In response, India has doubled down on its narrative of protecting minority rights in Bangladesh, particularly for Hindus, which Dhaka dismisses as a pretext for meddling. Critics in Bangladesh, however, view India's focus on minority rights as hypocritical, given its own internal record. The attack on Bangladesh's diplomatic compound in Agartala in December last year, where protesters from Indian far-right organizations burned the national flag of Bangladesh, served as a warning signal for the trajectory of relations. The attack triggered outrage in Dhaka. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry condemned the Agartala attack as a breach of the Vienna Convention, signaling a more assertive diplomatic posture. The interim government's push for accountability regarding Hasina's regime, coupled with India's strategic imperative to maintain a foothold in Bangladesh, suggests that relations will remain turbulent unless a framework can address the extradition issue and broader geopolitical concerns. Bangladesh's foreign policy has clearly changed in the year since Hasina's exit. The country is moving away from its heavy reliance on India and building stronger ties with China, Pakistan, and Western nations. As Bangladesh becomes more confident on the global stage, relations with India have become tense. Unless both sides find a common ground this mistrust is likely to continue.
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Trump again threatens India with harsh tariffs over Russian oil purchases
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened on Monday to raise tariffs on goods from India over its Russian oil purchases, while New Delhi called his attack "unjustified" and vowed to protect its economic interests, deepening the trade rift between the countries. In a social media post, Trump wrote, "India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine." "Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA," he added. A spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said in response that India will "take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security." "The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable," the spokesperson added. Trump has said that beginning Friday he will impose new sanctions on Russia as well as on countries that buy its energy exports, unless Moscow takes steps to end its 3-1/2 year war with Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no public sign of altering his stance despite the deadline. Over the weekend, two Indian government sources told Reuters that India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite Trump's threats. India has faced pressure from the West to distance itself from Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi has resisted, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and economic needs. Trump in July had already announced 25% tariffs on Indian imports, and U.S. officials have cited a range of geopolitical issues standing in the way of a U.S.-India trade accord. Trump has also cast the wider BRICS group of developing nations as hostile to the United States. Those nations have dismissed his accusation, saying the group promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil from January to June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by trade sources. India began importing oil from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, the Indian spokesperson said, calling it a "necessity compelled by global market situation." The spokesperson also noted the West's, particularly the European Union's, bilateral trade with Russia: "It is revealing that the very nations criticizing India are themselves indulging in trade with Russia." Despite the Indian government's defiance, the country's main refiners paused buying Russian oil last week, sources told Reuters. Discounts to other suppliers narrowed after Trump threatened hefty tariffs on countries that make any such purchases. Indian government officials denied any policy change. The country's largest refiner, Indian Oil, has bought 7 million barrels of crude from the United States, Canada and the Middle East, four trade sources told Reuters on Monday. India has also been frustrated by Trump repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media in May, which halted days of hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors. The unpredictability of the Trump administration poses a challenge for Delhi, said Richard Rossow, head of the India program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "India's continued energy and defense purchases from Russia presents a larger challenge," he said, "where India does not feel it can predict how the Trump administration will approach Russia from month to month."
The Mainichi
4 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Record 120 countries, regions to attend Hiroshima A-bomb ceremony
HIROSHIMA (Kyodo) -- A record 120 countries and regions, along with the European Union, plan to attend the ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday, according to the western Japanese city. While Russia is expected to again be absent this year, its close ally, Belarus, is set to attend for the first time in four years, the Hiroshima city government said, after the municipality effectively lifted the attendance ban on the two countries due to Moscow's war on Ukraine. Among nuclear-armed states, representatives from the United States, Britain, France are expected to attend. India, which is not a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as well as the de facto nuclear state of Israel will also take part. Palestine and Taiwan, which are not recognized as countries by the Japanese government, will be participating in the ceremony for the first time. China, Pakistan, and North Korea have no plans to show up. Following last year's controversy over inviting Israel amid its war in the Gaza Strip, Hiroshima has this year switched from sending invitations to simply "notifying" all countries and regions of the annual memorial ceremony. The previous record-high attendance was set in 2023, when 111 nations, plus the EU, took part. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said there was growing international awareness of his city's history, noting that a record-high 2.26 million people visited the city's museum documenting the devastation of the bombing during the previous fiscal year that ended March. "As the first city to experience nuclear aim to share globally 'the spirit of Hiroshima' that hopes for the realization of true peace and foster grassroots awareness of peace," Matsui said in a written interview with Kyodo News. Nagasaki, which was bombed three days after Hiroshima in 1945, is also expecting a record-high attendance from over 100 countries and regions for its ceremony on Saturday. The city has this year invited all countries and regions with diplomatic missions in Japan or representative offices at the United Nations. The city also accepted a request from Taiwan to attend for the first time. "I hope that by witnessing the reality of the atomic bombing firsthand, (attendees) will feel the inhumane consequences of using nuclear weapons," Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in a separate interview with Kyodo News. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, and three days later in Nagasaki killed more than 210,000 people by the end of that year. Japan surrendered six days after the Nagasaki bombing, bringing an end to World War II. Each year, the cities hold memorial ceremonies to mourn the victims and pray for lasting peace. U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass will attend both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki ceremonies, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo announced Monday. His predecessor Rahm Emanuel skipped the Nagasaki event last year in response to the city not inviting Israel.
