Bernd Lange slams EU Commission for ‘hiding’ behind voting rules on banning Israeli settlement imports

Senior European Commission officials have been scolded by MEPs for their refusal to propose a trade ban on illegal Israeli settlements. The EU could ban the trade with a qualified majority vote among EU states, according lawyers at the council, representing member states. But the commission favours a controversial unanimity vote. Léon Delvaux, a European Commission official, said no decision on which option or combination of options has been taken. “So far, no majority has come about on any of these options,” he said on Thursday (5 November) at a meeting in European Parliament’s trade committee. “With incompatible positions, it has not been possible to find a way forward that satisfies the different viewpoints,” added Vladimir Janecek from the EU’s foreign policy branch, the European External Action Service (EEAS). But that logic drew ire among MEPs who point out that the commission regularly proposes legislation without first seeking majority support among EU states. "It's totally unacceptable," said Bernd Lange, a German Socialists & Democrats MEP who chairs the trade committee. "It's totally new for me that you are asking before presenting legislation, the council has a qualified majority. It's crazy," he said.