Brussels, 19/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Despite a vote in favour at the committee, the go-ahead from the European Parliament for the EU/Israel Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACCA) Agreement remains uncertain. The Socialists want an to push the deadline forward by two years to enable Israel to amend its policy towards the Gaza Strip, the illegal settlements in Palestine and the peace process.
The international trade committee (INTA) at the European Parliament gave its approval on 18 September to the ACAA, the additional protocol to the association agreement of 1995 between the EU and Israel. This agreement allows EU certified pharmaceutical products to be exported to Israel and vice versa, without supplementary certification from the importer country. This mutual recognition of certification is expected to remove technical barriers to trade, reduce manufacturers' production costs and allow for their products to be marketed more quickly. The agreement will apply to all pharmaceutical products, except those involving advanced therapies, specialist medicine based on tissue and cells of human origin and medicines that include blood products.
If it is to enter into force, the ACAA must be approved by parliament as a whole, during a vote planned for next October. The INTA committee, however, is very divided over this issue and only approved ACAA by 15 votes. Twelve of its members voted against and two abstained. Following a proposal of their rapporteur and INTA committee president, Vital Moreira, from Portugal, S&D group members voted against and called for Parliament to wait another two years before giving its approval to the protocol. The Socialists are afraid that this protocol provides preferential access to EU markets for Israeli industrial products, without knowing whether they have been manufactured on Israeli soil or in the occupied territories. Before the plenary vote, they will also request the addition of a declaration to the legislative report explaining how the European Commission thinks it will implement the agreement.
Moreira explained that, “Enhancing EU's trade partnership with Israel at this time would undermine the Union's firm condemnation of Israeli policy to the Palestinians, particularly the blockade of Gaza. This amounts to a collective punishment of the whole population. The continuation of settlements in the occupied territory and the isolation of East Jerusalem cannot continue. We want an end to breaches of fundamental rights of the Palestinians, namely the right to their land, freedom of movement, freedom to work, and, of course, their right to self-determination. Therefore, de facto upgrading relations with Israel at this time is not appropriate”. (EH/transl.fl)