European Union foreign ministers are set to discuss legal options for imposing strict restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories at their meeting in Brussels on Monday, up to and including the possibility of adopting a comprehensive ban.
The discussions are based on an internal document submitted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to member state governments, which outlines three possible mechanisms for dealing with settlement products that the EU considers illegal under international law.
The proposed mechanisms are: first, the establishment of a dedicated import licensing system requiring European companies to obtain prior approval from national authorities to verify the origin of goods; second, the imposition of high customs duties that would render the entry of such products into the European market economically unviable, although the Commission noted that Israeli compensation to exporters could limit the effectiveness of this measure; and third, the strictest option, which would impose a full ban on the import, transit, and marketing of settlement products within the EU, whether limited to specific sectors such as agricultural products or extended to cover all goods.