The EU Commission is currently discussing the partial suspension of Israel from the Horizon research and innovation program due to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. This is the scientific grant program considered the most important in the world, and a suspension from Horizon would be a major blow to Israeli science, and one of the strongest sanctions available to the EU against Israel.
According to MSN, EU representatives will decide today whether to submit the decision to a vote of the countries, possibly as early as Tuesday. The vote will require a qualified majority of countries representing 65% of the population of the EU to pass the decision. Even if the decision falls, or if only a partial suspension is decided, it will send a significant message to Israel.
Two weeks ago, EU foreign ministers decided to refrain from sanctions against Israel, due to its promises to immediately increase humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. After delays and the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip, a series of foreign ministers and senior EU officials have demanded that Israel "fulfill its commitments," and the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has warned that "all options are on the table."
In recent days, Israel has further expanded aid to Gaza, and now the question is whether this is enough for the EU Commission. The discussion was convened despite the start of the summer break - a hint that the EU may carry out its threat.
Germany is considered a staunch supporter of Israel, especially regarding participation in Horizon, and is not expected to vote in favor of the suspension. The big question is about Italy, a key country whose opposition to the suspension would almost certainly be enough to torpedo the initiative (together, Italy and Germany make up more than 30% of the EU population). Italy changed its tone last week, after the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza and the very difficult humanitarian situation in the Strip.
Other options on the "menu" that Kallas presented to EU foreign ministers include "softer" measures such as a ban on the import of goods from Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and other options such as canceling the visa exemption for Israel, renouncing the political dialogue with Israel, and more.
The option of suspending full relations, based on the legal review that found "indications" that Israel is not respecting the association agreement on which they are based, is currently considered a highly unlikely option, due to the need for consensus among the 27 EU member states.
€93.5 billion annually
In May, when the option of suspension from Horizon was raised, Israeli scientists told "Globes" that not participating in the Horizon program is like trying to compete in the world of international sports without participating in the Olympics.
The Horizon program provides €93.5 billion annually and not only has it funded Israeli science with over €1 billion per year in the past five years, it is also the key to collaborations with all the other member states of the program, which may choose to embark on joint research without Israelis, if this prevents them from receiving the grant.
The very threat of Israel's suspension from the program, as it becomes more explicit, could dissuade European researchers from such collaborations, thinking that the presence of Israelis could influence the grant recipient even unofficially. Researchers report that they have already noticed a decline in the rate of grants received from the program, mainly in the fields of social sciences.
The High-Tech Forum for Israel, which includes CEOs from the tech sector said, "The Israeli government must act immediately, decisively, and diplomatically to prevent the advancement of this proposal and maintain Israel's status as a leading partner in the global research arena. This is yet another public diplomacy failure by the government, which has failed time and time again to prevent the collapse of our relations with the countries worldwide. While Israel is being marginalized in the international arena, the government is busy granting exemptions to haredim, instead of focusing on restoring our international status and strengthening Israel's strategic alliances."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 28, 2025.
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