00:01Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a mission and he won't let go.
00:06And today, once again, he will formally propose severing the EU's association agreement with Israel.
00:12Sánchez has accused Netanyahu of setting the Middle East on fire
00:16and has doubled down on his criticism of the war in Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
00:22The proposal has already hit a wall multiple times.
00:26Will it work this time?
00:30Established in 2000, the EU-Israel Association Agreement is the bedrock of the economic and political relationship.
00:37And for months, Spain Island and Slovenia have demanded an urgent review.
00:42Now, a European citizens' initiative titled Justice for Palestine, with over 1 million signatures, is forcing the issue onto the
00:50agenda.
00:51Crucially, a possible suspension would not mean a full trade ban.
00:55About 60% of Israeli exports to the EU already enjoy zero tariffs under standard World Trade Organization rules.
01:03However, the remaining 37% rely on a special duty-free treatment granted exclusively by this agreement.
01:10Suspending it would slap sudden tariffs on Israeli machinery, medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
01:17And the EU is Israel's largest trading partner, with a relationship worth more than 45 billion euro a year.
01:25The European Commission estimates this would hit Israeli experts with an extra 227 million euro a year in duties.
01:32And freeze millions in bilateral EU funding for ongoing cooperation projects.
01:37To fully scrap the deal, the EU needs everyone to agree.
01:41However, suspending just the trade privileges requires only qualified majority votes.
01:47And although Israel has lost one of its staunchest allies in Viktor Orbán's Hungary,
01:52and with Italy taking a harder line amid attacks on Christian places of faith,
01:57the proposal still faces an uphill battle.
02:01official video.
02:01Music
02:04Using air media
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