By Michael Curtis, AMERICAN THINKER
It is a welcome sign of changing times in the Middle East that a mission of 65 industry associations and representatives from 17 member states of the European Union is visiting Israel for two days in late October on a “mission for growth.” The mission is led by Antonio Tajani, the Italian politician who was a cofounder of the Forza Italia party in 1994 and was the former spokesman for the government of Silvio Berlusconi, and who is now European Commission vice-president responsible for Industry and Entrepreneurship. The aim of the mission is to strengthen business relations between the EU and Israel and to explore opportunities for cooperation between European and Israeli SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises).
The mission is to discuss various sectors of the economy: among them are space technologies, information and communication technology, water and environmental technologies, raw material, and homeland security. Commissioner Tajani in May 2012 called for Europe to become more innovative in order to compete with other countries and engage in “robust and sustainable growth.” In September 2013 he was even more downright: “We (Europeans) face a systematic industrial massacre.” The conclusion was that European industry must be made more robust, sustainable, and more growth-oriented.
The premise of the mission to Israel is that the dynamic economy of Israel can help the growth and competitiveness of industry in the EU countries. The expectation is that this can be done by promoting innovation and sustainable growth, by helping EU companies operate in Israel, and by promoting partnership between Israeli and European companies in those sectors identified as leading industries in Israel. The EU appears to have acknowledged the significant strides made by Israel in research and development.
All this is flattering to Israel and is a welcome change from the less than cordial political posture of the EU towards Israel in recent years. Conflicts have arisen over the EU Venice Declaration of 1980 which was the EU’s first official statement on the Arab-Israeli conflict, over the participation of the EU in the 1991 Madrid peace conference, over the Israeli Operation Grapes of Wrath when Israel in April 1996 was defending itself against terrorism by Hezbollah in South Lebanon, and especially over the Israeli settlements in the disputed territories.
The most recent contentious decisions of the EU came in 2013 when the EU issued a directive that the Israeli government declare in any future arrangements with the EU that settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are outside the State of Israel. EU grants, funding, prizes, or scholarships will not be given to Israelis unless this is made clear. Since 1998 the EU has held that the territories are not part of Israel and therefore products produced in them must not benefit from preferential treatment.
The October 2013 mission must be put in the context of trade and cultural relations between the two sides already in existence. The EEC, the forerunner to the EU, established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1959, and reached a free trade agreement in 1975. On November 20, 1995 an Association Agreement was signed, and entered into force on June 1, 2000. Included in it are free trade arrangements for industrial goods and concessions for agricultural products, and liberalization of trade in services. Regular meetings are supposed to take place to discuss political and economic issues. Trade between the two sides has grown: in 2012 EU exports to Israel reached 17 billion euros, while EU imports from Israel were 12.6 billion euros.
Israel has relations with the EU directly and indirectly in various ways. The most important indirect forms are the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that Israel joined in 2010.
Equally significant is the participation of Israel in the European Research and Development (ERD) program. Since 1993, specifically after the Oslo Accords, Israel has been accepted as a full partner in the program. The relationship was reinforced in 1995 when the EU accepted Israel’s request for researchers to be included in management committees with the same standing as EU member countries.
In the 6th program of the ERD Framework, 2002-2006, a considerable number of Israeli projects were involved: 429 academic projects, 209 industrial, and 145 others. In the present 7th program, 2007-2013, Israelis are again participating in considerable numbers, benefiting from working with large European organizations. Israel is also part of the MEDA program, launched in 1996 and amended in 2000, which is an instrument of economic and financial cooperation under the Euro-Mediterranean partnership which seeks to reinforce political stability, create a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area and develop economic and social cooperation.
Interestingly, Article 2 of the 1975 Association Agreement states “Relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential part of this Agreement.” This allows one to raise the question of whether there can be closer ties between Israel and the EU. Israel already takes part in a number of European events and activities. The argument was made by Silvio Berlusconi in his visit to Israel in February 2010 that his “greatest desire” was that Israel should join the EU.
Even though it is in the Middle East and not on the European mainland, Israel can be regarded as sharing the values of Western civilization, democracy, freedom, rule of law, and an open economic system based on market principles. A convincing argument can be made that Israel could become a member of or associated with NATO and OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe). Since NATO extends to Turkey, it may embrace Israel on the way. An equally compelling argument can be made that it could be accepted into the EU. Among other things, Israel can provide a model for European countries for successful integration of immigrants into their societies. With political vision, the way is open from Israeli partnership and association with the EU in a variety of activities to full membership.
Michael Curtis is author of Jews, Antisemitism, and the Middle East.
dove Said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u925g6CgKuw
@ yamit82:
Still playing “one-up,” I see.
I meant treaties GENERALLY, but I based the remark on what I know specifically about USA treaties.
Nonsense. It has everything to do with that difference.
You ‘just corrected’ nothing.
You challenged the comment, that’s all. But the comment was CORRECT.
The fact is that while all treaties are agreements, not all agreements are treaties.
Agreements aren’t treaties — UNLESS they’re subjected to ratification. That’s the bottom line.
I had already noted that “The [Curtis] article itself observes that there are already a number of these kinds of arrangements [i.e., non-treaty agreements] in effect.”
— Or are you suggesting that those WERE actually treaties?
It’s more than clear from your post just WHO it was that was “caught in a misstatement and crawling around trying to obfuscate the point and [his] own ignorance and sloppiness.”
@ yamit82:
dove Said:
You tube says the video does not exist is that your message?
As to whether I understand hidden meanings in videos or other mediums, heck I’m only a simple man with a simple man’s limitations.
I like my whiskey straight up and prefer strait talk to bullshit.
CuriousAmerican Said:
dweller Said:
Nice try dweller: You are exact enough that if you meant USA Treaty law you would have said it. CA was speaking of the EU and you replied to That and nothing else. Even under American Law the ratification has nothing to do with the difference between agreements and treaties, only the ratification which will differ country by country according to their own laws.
I just corrected your comment that agreements are not treaties and you as your penchant when caught in a misstatement and crawling around trying to obfuscate the point and your own ignorance and sloppiness. When you are wrong at least admit it. Then don’t do it again. 🙂
You provided the proof your statement was incorrect:
“regardless of whether an international agreement is called a convention, agreement
, protocol, accord, etc., if it is submitted to the Senate for advice and consent, it is considered a treaty under U.S. law.”
@ yamit82:
There IS a difference — at least in USA law. (EU law is less clear to me.)
USA treaties must be ratified by the US Senate — whereby they become domestic law, guaranteed by the US Constitution — or they are not treaties.
E.G., the 1981 & 1983 Bilateral Agreements betw USA & Israel — to share military intel — were not treaties, but “Executive Agreements.” They were never submitted to the Senate for ratification.
The 1981 was signed only by Pres./PM, and the 1983 only by the Minister/Secty of Defense. If they HAD been treaties, they would’ve involved both the Legislative Branch AND the Executive — and would’ve been less subject to the shenanigans of withholding the vital intel that ultimately skewered Pollard on the tines of Morton’s Fork.
From the same site of your link:
@ yamit82:
lol….did you think I meant this song resembled YOU?? Oh Yamit…..YOU don’t understand the hidden meaning
If you want to take this one personally ….from a former shiksha’s …..?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=b6UAYGx
@ dove:
Call me Ras, better known as Grozny Yuber. Lots of hidden charms.
@ yamit82:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxa8vUsuDPM&feature=player_detailpage
Why oh why would Israel ever even think of joining the EU???
Israel will never join the EU!!!
Nor should we!!!!!!
Israel has never applied to join the EU, an obvious prerequisite for membership.
.
It’s not because no one has ever given this idea any thought. Back in 2002, when BB was finance minister, he visited Berlusconi and asked him to consider including us in the club. That BB should be vanguarding the push towards Europe is not surprising at least to me.
The EU is not all that interested in our membership,and we don’t necessarily want to join that club. We would have to consider the EU constitutional principle of four freedoms of movement: of people, merchandise, money and services.
Just on this point of freedom of movement of people would Nix any Israel agreement.
Israel, considering its rather tricky security considerations, is not about to agree to the free movement of all Europeans in and out of Israel.
After 2,000 years of exile, the Jewish people finally won their hard-fought for independence in 1948, gaining a flag, an anthem, and – finally – political sovereignty.
I don’t think most Israelis are prepared to forfeit any part of that independence to another body, to place its flag under that of another organization. That, to a certain extent is what EU membership would entail.
Membership in the EU would mean that Israel’s foreign policy would have to align itself with the EU’s, as would its industrial, economic and agricultural policies. If the EU said Israeli farmers could only grow a certain type of red pepper, it would only be able to grow a certain type of red pepper.
Or, “Can anyone imagine ex FM Lieberman working under High Representative Lady Ashton?”
By the same token, it is extremely difficult to imagine that the Europeans would take us into the club as long as the conflict with the Palis is still on going at least not solved. It is almost inconceivable to think that the EU would grant Israel membership as long as there was not a full withdrawal to the 1967 lines, including in the Golan Heights and east Jerusalem. And it is equally inconceivable to think Israel would make those withdrawals just to join this club.
dweller Said:
Re: Isa prophesy, who can say if the prophesy has not already been fulfilled?
“agreements not a treaty”?
A distinction with no difference except possibly the modalities.
The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties defines a treaty as: “an international agreement concluded between States in written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation.”
Treaties can be referred to by a number of different names: international conventions, international agreements, covenants, final acts, charters, memorandums of understandings (MOUs), protocols, pacts, accords, and constitutions for international organizations.
Usually these different names have no legal significance in international law . Treaties may be bilateral (two parties) or multilateral (between several parties) and a treaty is usually only binding on the parties to the agreement.
An agreement “enters into force” when the terms for entry into force as specified in the agreement are met. Bilateral treaties usually enter into force when both parties agree to be bound as of a certain date.
Does the Euro said with an Israeli accent become the Ivri?
No problem.
— Annex them.
@ CuriousAmerican:
Likely so, but a trade or cultural agreement is not a treaty.
—The article itself observes that there are already a number of these kinds of arrangements in effect.
No need — or value — to submit to the shackles of a political treaty.
As a commenter to the original AmThinker essay has noted:
I could see perhaps a (NATO-like) treaty w/ USA.
Most definitely not w/ EU.
Israel is about as much of a match for the EU as she is for the Arab League.
Actually – she actually is more qualified for the latter, but that’s not saying much.
Trust me Israel will NOT be a full member or the EU. The EU will not want Israel to be a member for a myriad of reasons.
The EU has immigration requirements that Israel would never tolerate.
There is a Christian interpretation of prophecy that signing a treaty with Europe would be the covenant of death.
There is a belief among Christian Evangelicals that the final tyranny will be European (The European Union).
“Can Israel Become a Member of the European Union?”
Maybe so. But just because some fool visiting a zoo can vault the fence and jump into the lions’ den, doesn’t necessarily imply that’s a wise idea.
Jews perpetually try to join the goyim in this or that association for regional or world betterment, and almost always live to regret it. Tikun ha’olam begins and ends within the circle of the Jewish nation. And if we are smart, we will keep it that way.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI