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The European Parliament in Brussels.
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BRUSSELS (EJP)---The European Parliament foreign affairs committee has approved increased participation by Israel in EU programmes as part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) but linked it to respect for the commitments given by Israel at the Annapolis Mideast summit.
"Companies and organisations based in the settlements in the occupied territories must not be eligible to take part," the MEPs said in resolution adopted last week.
The resolution was drafted by Belgian Socialist MEP Véronique De Keyser.
MEPs called on the European Commission and Member States to verify that any participation by Israeli entities in EU programmes "complies with EU law and policies."
"Measures should be taken to prevent participation in these programmes by Israeli companies and organisations based in the settlements, by tightening up checks on Israeli products imported into the EU under preferential trade rules," the resolution says.
It adds: "Infringement proceedings should be started if products from the occupied Palestinian territories bearing Israeli labels are exported to the Union."
Israel is already fully associated in the EU framework programme for research and development and Israeli bodies have taken part in over 600 research projects under the Sixth Framework Programme.
Israel is the first ENP country to ask to take part in Community programmes, something which is allowed under its ENP guideline document of May 2004.
The other 16 ENP partners (Algeria, Armenia, Palestinian Authority, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Moldova, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine) enjoy the same right to take part in EU programmes.