In an official letter to the European Commission, the Flemish Interuniversity Council is asking for clear guidelines that will allow universities and other research actors to assess whether Israeli partners involved in EU-funded research projects comply with the ethical standards imposed by the European Commission. This is increasingly important, particularly in light of the recent binding rulings of the International Court of Justice on prevention and punishment of possible genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Horizon Europe is the European Commission’s most comprehensive research programme. It funds international research consortia in a wide range of scientific disciplines. For many years, Israel’s association with the programme has allowed a variety of Israeli partners to participate, including universities, public research institutions, private players and government agencies. Flemish universities are members of several consortia that also include partners from Israel.
It is contractually stipulated that research groups can only participate in these European projects if they comply with basic European values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality and respect for the rule of law and human rights. Non-compliance with this ethical standard can lead to a reduction in funding.
Across Europe, universities screen their cooperation with Israeli partners. This involves both bilateral agreements at the institutional level and multilateral projects in the European context. For the latter category in particular, it is more than appropriate for the European Commission, as funder, to indicate to what extent the Israeli partners involved comply or do not comply with the predefined ethical standards.