European court rules to ban imported goods produced in Israeli settlements

Luxembourg, May 13 (RHC)-- A European Union court has ruled in favor 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.  The Commission’s explanation for refusing to register the ECI proposal was that it would disrupt economic and financial relations with a third country.

“A citizen presenting such a proposed initiative must be given the opportunity to understand the Commission’s reasoning,” the court ruled.  Tom Moerenhout, a Columbia University professor opposed to trade with Israeli settlements in occupied territory that Palestinians seek for an independent state, joined six EU citizens to sue the European Commission over its decision.