Brussels, 13/12/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Monday evening 13 December, Israel and the EU held their 5th Association Council session in a backdrop to the EU Council of Ministers. The EU sees their ministerial level meeting as an "important moment" and that the "recent developments in Europe and in the world indicate new prospects for peace and stability in the region". It also indicated that it was ready to "contribute to the achievement of these objectives" and to "work with Israel" with whom contacts, notably bilateral, had become "intense and are expected to increase". The Union explains that in this context, it shared with Israel, "the same values" (human rights, democracy and the rule of law etc.) and the respect of the latter constituted an "essential element" in their relations, notably in the framework of the association agreement, which neighbourhood policy would consolidate. On the basis of these common values, the EU and Israel would combat any kind of anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia, including Islamaphobia.
The Israeli minister of foreign affairs, Silvan Shalom, provided the Israeli delegation with a strong presence at the Association Council meeting with Dutch Luxembourg counterparts, Bernard Bot and Jean Asselborn, who were speaking on behalf of the current and future EU presidencies respectively, as well as the EU High Representative, Javier Solana and European Commissioner for external relations and European neighbourhood policy, Benita Ferro-Waldner. Their discussions focused on implementing the Association Agreement. They also discussed the "action plan" to establish (in the framework of the European neighbourhood policy). A draft for this plan was approved on Thursday by the European Commission and will be submitted to the Council later on. The Israel authorities will be expected to approve the document. They are already familiar with its contents because it had been negotiated with them beforehand.
The EU also intends to discuss the possibility of setting up a "Strategic Partnership" on the Mediterranean and Middle East. A variety of subjects was discussed as part of political dialogue, notably the conflict in the Middle East and the situation in the region, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, anti-Semitism and the fight against terrorism. The Association Council is also expected to ratify arrangements on rules on origin that civil servants from both sides had decided on. Israel is expected to confirm at this event, the indication it gave at The Hague during the EuroMed conference on releasing the money from taxes raised on Palestinian products going through customs. On a number of occasions the EU had called for this income to be paid to the Palestinian Authority without delay. For the remainder, the Association Council examined and positively noted the economic cooperation, notably in agricultural trade, which is gradually being liberalised in the different countries, although the European Commission has reported that European operators continue to have difficulties with Israeli phytosanitary rules.