Lack of unanimity again thwarts Spanish proposal to suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement

Eduardo González The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, announced on Tuesday that European foreign ministers had not reached the necessary unanimity to suspend the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel, as requested by Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland, but assured that “the discussions will continue.” “Some Member States today proposed a total or partial suspension of the EU Association Agreement, as well as restrictions on trade from settlements, while others expressed their opposition to these proposals,” Kallas stated at the end of the EU Economic and Social Council meeting. “Since the suspension of the Association Agreement requires unanimity, there was no support for it in the room,” she added. “The measures we already have on the table that require qualified majority voting will require Member States to change their positions,” she continued, referring to trade sanctions. “We haven’t seen it today, but these debates will continue.” The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Sunday that the Spanish government would propose the suspension of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel to the EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) this Tuesday. Spain has repeatedly requested the suspension of the Agreement, which constitutes the legal basis governing relations between Israel and the European Union, arguing that Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime is violating Article 2 of the text, which states that “relations between the Parties, as well as all provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles.” For his part, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares warned this Tuesday in Luxembourg, upon his arrival at the FAC meeting, that the Spanish government supports the suspension of “the entire Association Agreement,” although he admitted that “there is a whole range of possibilities.” In September 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a proposal to suspend certain provisions of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, such as the chapter on establishing a free trade area between the two parties. Kaja Kallas noted on Monday that suspending the Agreement would require a unanimous position, while suspending the trade pillar would only require a qualified majority. However, Albares lamented on Tuesday that “even so, an agreement has not been reached.” EU credibility Regarding Albares's statements upon arriving at the CAE, in which he warned that “Europe's credibility is at stake” if it is unable “to send a clear and strong signal to Israel that it must change its policy,” Kaja Kallas was emphatic: “It's the opposite: our credibility is increasing on all issues because we see what is happening in the world.” “We have been the greatest supporters of the Palestinians: in supporting the Palestinian people, in supporting the Palestinian Authority, in supporting Palestinian refugees, and also in supporting the reconstruction of Palestine,” she asserted. “We are doing a lot,” she continued. “It is true that we do not have complete agreement on all these issues, but would suspending the Association Agreement stop expansion in the West Bank? That probably wouldn't be true either,” she added.

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