Brussels, 23/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton wants non-binding guidelines from the European Commission on labelling products from the Israeli settlements to be published in the Official Journal “before the end of 2013”, revealed Israeli newspaper Haartez on Tuesday 23 July, quoting an internal letter from Ashton of 8 July.
In this letter to eight European commissioners and to the president of the European Commission, Ashton asks for guidelines to be set out for this labelling. She wants her colleagues to ensure that the current legislation on the labelling of products from the Israeli settlements is applied through guidelines that are valid for the whole EU, or through any other measure necessary.
Stating that the letter is part of the normal inter-service consultation process, Ashton's spokesperson said that work was under way, refusing to confirm the time schedule at this stage.
“If the consumer needs to be informed that the product in question comes from a disputed territory, the EU must distribute a universal regulation for all the disputed territories in Europe and in the rest of the world. But, singling out just one country or just one territory smacks of institutionalising discrimination”, said an Israeli spokesperson (our translation).
In May, the EU Foreign Affairs Council stated its intention to apply the European legislation and bilateral agreements to products from the settlements. In April, 13 member states said they were ready to support Ashton's efforts on the labelling. (CG/transl.fl)