The European Union, and in particular individual member states—above all Germany—support the genocide and colonial oppression of the Palestinian people not only militarily, but also through research projects and funding schemes.
The University of Münster is currently involved in 7 active projects with 10 Israeli universities or companies that arm or financially support Israel.
These joint projects are funded under the European Union’s ninth Framework Programm for Research and Innovation, Horizon Europe. Horizon Europe is the largest single research and innovation funding programm of the EU, with a budget of €93.5 billion. Israeli scientists and companies received a total of €1.1 billion in funding from Horizon Europe between 2021 and 2024.
The European Commission proposes partial exclusion of Israel from Horizon Europe
On 28 July 2025, the European Commission proposed partially suspending Israel’s participation in Horizon Europe. This exclusion would only affect the participation of Israeli companies in the EIC Accelerator programme, which targets “start-ups and small companies with disruptive innovations and new technologies” that have potential dual-use applications (civilian and military), for example in the areas of cybersecurity, drones, and artificial intelligence. In total, Israeli companies have received €242 million through this programme.
EU–Israel Association Agreement
The basis for this proposal was a prior review of Article 2 of the EU–Israel Association Agreement. The Association Agreement is a comprehensive trade and cooperation agreement that has been in force since 2000. It regulates, among other things, “customs preferences, economic cooperation, and political dialogue.” Article 2 of the agreement states that respect for human rights and democratic principles is an essential basis of the partnership.
„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.“
In light of crimes against humanity—including displacement, apartheid and extermination—and genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, it is clear that Israel is violating the conditionality clause of the Association Agreement. Nevertheless, this minimal proposal is being blocked by several member states, including Germany and Italy.
As parties to the Genocide Convention, all EU member states are obliged to “employ all means reasonably available to them” to prevent genocide. This obligation does not arise only after a final judicial determination, but as soon as a state becomes aware, or should normally have become aware, of a serious risk of genocide. The International Court of Justice has provided clear guidelines in this regard.
The proposal for a partial exclusion of Israel from the Horizon Europe programme, as well as the partial suspension of the Association Agreement announced by Ursula von der Leyen on 10 September 2025 before the European Parliament, amount to nothing more than symbolic policy. Those who are serious must not settle for half-measures.
EU member states must fully terminate the Association Agreement, impose a comprehensive arms embargo, and consistently exclude Israel from Horizon Europe. In short: there can be no normalization with a colonial settler state— all political, economic, and scientific relations must be ended.