A European Union court on Wednesday ruled in favour of litigants seeking to ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements on occupied land, rescinding a decision by the bloc's executive in 2019 not to register a citizens' petition they had submitted.
Only six petitions under the EU’s avenue for citizen action have been considered since the program was introduced in 2011.
Palestinian laborers head home after their work day on construction projects in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Efrat on March 16, 2021. During the Trump era, Israel went on an aggressive settlement spree, pushing deeper into the occupied West Bank than ever before. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
LUXEMBOURG (CN) The EU’s second-highest court advanced a petition Wednesday that would block the import of goods from Israeli settlements in occupied territories of Palestine.
Because such settlements are widely seen as illegal under international law, a group invoked the powers of of the the European Citizens’ Initiative to petition for a boycott of any goods produced in the settlements.
A European Union court on Wednesday ruled in favour of litigants seeking to ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements on occupied land, rescinding a decision by the bloc’s executive branch in 2019 not to register a petition submitted by citizens.
The European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – failed to adequately state the reasons for its decision not to register the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) proposal, the Luxembourg-based General Court said in a statement.
Through the ECI, EU citizens make proposals for legislation that the European Commission is obliged to consider when they are supported by the signatures of one million citizens.