Hundreds of former European officials urge EU to suspend Israel trade access
More than 460 former European political figures have called on the European Union to take tougher action against Israel over its military operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The appeal was set out in an editorial published ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg next week and an EU summit in Brussels. The signatories include former Irish taoiseach Leo Varadkar, former tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox.
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The group said the EU should suspend Israel's preferential trade access under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It argued that such a move would affect around one third of Israel's total trade in goods with the world. The editorial also called for the EU to prevent imports from illegal settlements in the West Bank and to extend sanctions to more Israeli ministers, officials, individuals and entities linked to settlements.
The appeal further urged foreign ministers to suspend Israel's participation in EU research programmes where public and private entities are said to be in breach of international law. It also called for a halt to trade in military and dual-use goods. The signatories said the EU's credibility was being undermined by what they described as a failure to show moral and political leadership in upholding international law.
The intervention comes at a sensitive moment for EU policy on the conflict. The foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg and the summit in Brussels are expected to consider calls to curtail trade with Israel and suspend elements of the association agreement. The editorial says the European Commission and the European External Action Service should propose measures for adoption through a qualified majority vote by member states.
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The list of signatories includes former prime ministers Massimo d'Alema and Romano Prodi of Italy, Robert Golob of Slovenia and Stefan Löfven of Sweden. The group said it had repeatedly made similar public statements since July 2025, indicating that pressure on EU institutions has been building over several months. The latest appeal is aimed at turning that pressure into formal policy discussion at the bloc's upcoming meetings.
It remains unclear whether the EU will move beyond discussion to any concrete action, and member states are likely to remain divided on the issue. The immediate focus will be on the foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg and the Brussels summit, where the trade relationship, settlement imports and possible sanctions are expected to be debated. The scale of support behind the editorial suggests the issue is likely to stay on the EU agenda in the coming days.
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