EU’s new ambassador to Israel tells Science Minister Perry that he’d like Israel to work with the EU despite its boycotting guidelines.
NRG/Maariv reported that during the meeting, which took place in Tel Aviv, Perry briefed the ambassador on his Ministry’s activities in the fields of science and space technology and on Israel’s collaborations with other countries in these fields.
Faaborg-Andersen reportedly praised Israel’s activities in science and technology and recommended that the EU and Israel continue to cooperate in these areas.
According to Maariv, Faaborg-Andersen also told Perry that he would like to see Israel participating in the EU’s multi-million dollar Horizon 2020 research program.
Israel’s participation in the important program was placed under a question mark after the EU published new guidelines which boycott Israeli entities operating beyond the 1949 Armistice Lines.
Israel has warned that it might shun the key EU research program unless a compromise is found over the boycotting guidelines.
Horizon 2020 aims “to de-pollute the Mediterranean by the year 2020 by tackling the sources of pollution that account for around 80% of the overall pollution of the Mediterranean Sea: municipal waste, urban waste water and industrial pollution,” the EU said when the project was announced in 2011.
Israeli green technology is a centerpiece of the project, with Israeli researchers providing numerous systems to remove pollution from the shores of Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, and northern African countries.
Israel is allocating 600 million euros to the project over the next seven years and is one of its major contributors. It has warned, however, that the EU’s new policy may put the whole project in jeopardy, since at least some of the technologies Israel is contributing to the project were developed by companies and academic institutions located in Judea and Samaria and in areas of Jerusalem liberated in the 1967 Six Day War.
Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin recently warned that unless a compromise can be reached with the EU on the boycotting guidelines, Israel would risk missing out on generous funding for its scientists and Europe will lose Israeli-know how.
“If we fail to resolve this problem, the future direction will be a kind of separation between Israel and the European Union,” Elkin said, adding, “We are the start-up nation. It would be a big mistake for Europe to lose its relations with Israel.”
EU officials have reportedly been visiting Israel recently in an attempt to ensure the continued cooperation between the Jewish state and the 28-nation bloc.
Israel has maintained that the EU guidelines are trying to impose new borders on Israel via trade sanctions rather than through on-going negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. In fact, Israel has said, the boycott hurts negotiations rather than promotes them.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel will not sign any contracts with Europe so long as its boycott of Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and even the Golan Heights – as per the new guidelines – continues.
Although Israel is not brilliant when it comes to public relations, Israel could not be so stupid as to publish such a thing.
@ Shy Guy:
Heard Israel is planning to issue both a commemorative stamp and coin depicting the the Blown Up King David Hotel, home to the British Military Command in 1948. Caption reads: We did it once We can do it again.
British MP’s, Lords demand that British government apologize for Balfour Declaration
It’s a conundrum. Israel could use the EU money slated for its scientists, but on the other hand it would be great if Israel could tell the EU to shove the Horizon partnership up their keester if they don’t drop the boycott. I think Israel should try to get a closer relationship with China. China is looking for places to put its money and develop more prestige throughout the world. As it happens, its possible that Israel’s extracting the vast oil and gas from the Mediterranean might cause rather than abate pollution.