In a watershed moment breaking with decasdes of previous policy, Spain, Ireland and Norway announced last week that the recognition would come into force on Tuesday. While the majority of UN member states recognize the state of Palestine, most EU states do not.
The EU is one of UNRWA’s top donors. Following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attack, the EU announced to review its support. While some believe this to be an urgent measure, others warn of collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Acting Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez warns People’s Party it’s “not the time” to pressure the king. In other news: The European Commission will shift further Interreg funds to Moldova and Ukraine and the European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA) confirms no observers have been injured in “shooting incident” at the border with Azerbaijan.
Ahead of Spain’s EU Presidency, the country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for European unity ahead of the elections next year. The socialist wants to lead Europe through crises and aims to settle the major issues by the end of this year: the European migration pact, the debt rules and reducing the bloc’s dependence on third countries, among other topics. The national snap elections in July could spoil that.
Interior ministers of the German federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony call for border checks with Poland and the Czech Republic. The Spanish Presidency of the EU Council will prioritise legislation of artificial intelligence during its term. Several EU member states wish to move away from unanimity in the foreign policy decision-making process.