Germany and Italy Block EU Efforts to Sanction Israel
EU foreign ministers on Tuesday rejected a push to suspend the bloc’s association agreement with Israel. Germany and Italy blocked the proposal put forward by Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia.
Ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 21 April in Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia last week signed a letter to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas accusing Israel of violating the agreement underpinning the bloc’s relations with Israel.
However, Politico reported that the ministers ultimately refused to suspend the key agreement, with Germany and Italy playing a crucial role in blocking the proposal.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said suspending the agreement was “inappropriate” and instead advocated “critical and constructive dialogue” with Israel. Austria echoed the same sentiment, while Italy – widely seen as the most opposed party in the meeting – followed suit and settled the matter definitively.
“There is neither the number nor the political conditions,” said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani before the meeting, underscoring Rome and Berlin’s bias towards Israel.
The German- and Italian-led opposition to the proposal dashed hopes of leaders in Madrid, Ljubljana, and Dublin, who hoped that rising anger over settler violence in the West Bank, as well as new laws introducing mandatory death penalties for Palestinian citizens, would prompt Brussels to act.
“Europe is currently playing with its credibility,” said Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares upon arriving at the meeting. “We must clearly tell Israel that they must change course.”
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee also called Israel’s actions “completely unacceptable” and argued that the EU needs to be “decisive” and show that it “upholds fundamental values.”
Although the effort ultimately failed, calls for action garnered support from other member states. “We must be able to act to consider this debate,” said Maxime Prévot from Belgium.
Since 2000, the EU-Israel Association Agreement has underpinned political cooperation and trade relations between the two sides. The text, which gives Israel privileged access to the EU market, includes a human rights clause – Article 2 – that makes respect for democratic principles an essential part of the agreement.
That clause is the legal umbrella that Spain has highlighted for over two years. In February 2024, amid Israel’s campaign in Gaza, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar asked the European Commission to review whether the agreement’s requirements had been met.
In May 2025, the EU’s diplomatic service launched a review of Israel’s compliance with the text at the request of a majority of the bloc’s member states. Although Brussels has never fully revoked the agreement, last September they proposed a partial suspension of the agreement.
Underlining how politically sensitive a full suspension is, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen suggested that elements related to trade in the agreement could be suspended. That scenario was revived ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, with several ministers raising partial suspension as a viable option.