§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what punitive measures against the Israeli Government are available to him for non-compliance with the human rights clauses of the EU-Israeli Association Agreement. [177219]
§ Mr. RammellThe penalties available to the EU if a breach of the Agreement occurs, which would not result in denunciation of the Agreement, are outlined in Article 86 of the Agreement. This article establishes a dispute resolution mechanism. The first stage would be for the concerned party to report the issue to the Association Council. If the Association fails to resolve the issue, the concerned party could then invoke an arbitration process. The arbitrators would decide a judgment and each party would be bound by that judgment. Article 90 further allows for either party to take appropriate measures if it is felt that the other party had failed to fulfil an obligation under the Agreement.
Article 2 of the EU/Israel Association Agreement states that:
Relations between the Parties, as well as all the provisions of the Agreement itself, shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles, which guides their internal and international policy and constitutes an essential element of this Agreement.
Minister Date Locations Total journey time 1996–97 Secretary of State 7 May 1996 Northolt, Birmingham, Battersea 1 hour 40 minutes Secretary of State 1 August 1996 Northolt, Battersea 15 minutes Minister of State, (Eastern Europe) 18 February 1997 Northolt, Battersea 10 minutes 1997–98 Secretary of State 21 July 1997 Northolt, Highgrove, Battersea 1 hour 20 minutes 2002–03 Secretary of State 6 September 2002 Northolt, Birmingham, Northolt 1 hour 35 minutes No RAF helicopter journeys were made in the Financial Years 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2003–04.