Why the EU is ‘absent’ in Gaza

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In today’s edition:

• Inside Europe’s Gaza paralysis
• EU crumbles further on trade threats
• Spy trial could spill AfD secrets
• Global plastic treaty talks in Geneva
• ‘Fake’ rice threatens Valencian tradition

In the Capital

Nicolas Schmit, who sat in the European Commission in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks by Hamas, says the bloc’s muddled stance on the Gaza war stems from something deeper than disagreement: institutional inertia and presidential control.

In an exclusive interview with The Capitals, the Luxembourg socialist said the Commission did not hold proper debate about Europe’s relationship with Israel during the 13 months that he was in office after the war was triggered.

“We never had a real strategic discussion on the Middle East issue from the different points of view,” he said. “We should have debated the relationship with Israel [but] we did not.”

That omission, Schmit argued, was partly because President Ursula von der Leyen was aligned with Berlin and Washington, leaving little space for divergent views among the other commissioners.

“If you cannot identify and formulate collectively as a Commission,” Schmit said, “you’re just muddling through, and just crying big tears on what happens to the poor people of Gaza.”

Schmit’s term as commissioner for jobs and social rights ended late last year. His remarks come after his “very good friend” and former colleague Josep Borrell, the bloc’s former top diplomat, accused EU leadership of being “complicit” in war crimes by Israel in an eyebrow-raising op-ed, published across British, French, Italian, Spanish and Belgian media.

Reached for a response by Euractiv, the Commission declined to comment, saying it does not comment on comments.

That Borrell, a Spaniard, would take such a position is perhaps unsurprising – Spain has emerged as one of the bloc’s most vocal critics of Israel in recent months. Just last week, in a rare public rebuke of her colleagues, Teresa Ribera, one of the Commission’s top-ranking vice presidents, said on Spanish national radio that she’s been pushing von der Leyen to respond more forcefully.

Schmit previously served as labour minister in Luxembourg – another European nation that has been loud in its criticisms of Israel.

Still, he distanced himself from Borrell’s words – “it’s not complicity, it’s just weakness,” adding, “there are divisions in the European Union, obviously, and Borrell must know them better than I do.”

Last week, member states debated the Commission’s proposal to partially suspend Israel from the EU’s flagship research programme, Horizon Europe, in what could become the bloc’s first formal sanctions against Israel since 7 October. But no qualified majority emerged.

Around 10 countries, including France, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium, supported the move, but Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic firmly opposed it. Germany and Italy, two of the largest nations which could tip the scales, said they needed more time for analysis.

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, Schmit believes the destruction is nearing a threshold the EU cannot ignore. “What is done now to the Gaza people is just unacceptable. I do not want to enter into this legal debate if it’s a genocide or not, but if it’s not it’s very close to [it],” he said.

In Schmit’s view, measures such as suspending Israel from Horizon Europe will likely have little impact on PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Instead, he suggested suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, describing the move as Europe’s “only weapon.”

His critique that von der Leyen has mismanaged the Commission by not allowing more space for political debates on contentious subjects is not new; he also criticised his former boss on the campaign trail when he ran against her in an ill-fated bid to become Commission president last year.

It is not unusual for politicians to discover their convictions once the burdens of office are behind them. Schmit and Borrell, like many before them, now seem intent on aligning themselves with what they hope will be the right side of history.

But the war has also evolved drastically since they left the Commission, which could also explain why it took until July 2025 for the executive body to propose formal sanctions against Israel.

As the death toll rises, von der Leyen has belatedly sharpened her rhetoric in recent months, calling for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and denouncing the images circulating online of civilian casualties as “unbearable.”

Schmit’s criticism of the Commission’s chief extends beyond the war. He warned that under her leadership, commissioners “very rarely” debated in meetings of the College.

“If you have this vertical organisation of power,” he said, “commissioners are but the secretaries of the president. They are high civil servants.”

Keep your eyes peeled for the full Q&A out later today.

EU crumbles further on trade threats

Amid rumours that the Commission is poised to unveil a joint statement to formalise its trade deal with the US, EU countries are expected today to delay their never used retaliation package by a whopping six months, my colleague Thomas Møller-Nielsen reports.

The EU is essentially canning its €93 billion countermeasure package even though its flagship win from the much-criticised deal has yet to materialise: EU car exporters are still facing a 27.5% tariff even though the deal – such as it is – would lower the tariff to 15%. That reduced tariff is set to take effect on Friday.

The timing couldn’t be better – not. The EU Parliament’s top trade lawmaker, Bernd Lange, told Thomas there’s a risk the EU’s digital rulebook could be scrapped to appease Washington, citing the “big difference” between US and EU interpretations of the deal published last week. Read the full interview.

Counterpoint: Humiliation is part of the strategy, argues SWP’s Nicolai von Ondarza in this op-ed – though that’s the problem.

Spy trial could expose AfD secrets

A Chinese espionage trial opening today reportedly threatens to spill internal secrets about the far-right Alternative for Germany.

Prosecutors allege that Jian G – a former aide to Maximilian Krah, an ex-AfD MEP now sitting in the Bundestag – spied for China. G, who was arrested shortly before the 2024 European elections, allegedly compiled memos detailing attempted party coups, questionable business deals, and private details about co-leader Alice Weidel. According to German magazine Der Spiegel, these memos are part of the evidence in the case. Read more.

The Capitals

PARIS – LONDON | A Franco-British migration deal to limit Channel crossings comes into force today. The scheme, agreed in June, aims to send up to 2,600 rejected asylum seekers a year from Britain to France – which at current rates covers around three weeks’ worth of small boats crossing the Channel. The European Commission will be part of a monitoring group to ensure the pilot project complies with EU law, and expects it will only last until the EU’s new migration pact comes into force in June 2026.

ROME | Italy is expanding its special economic zone to include the central regions of Umbria and Marche, extending benefits such as tax breaks and reduced red tape previously reserved for the south. PM Giorgia Meloni announced the move during a state visit to Marche, calling it a boost for entrepreneurship and investment. But with regional elections looming, critics suggest the timing appears politically motivated. Read more.

BERLIN | The city of Bonn has joined several others, including Düsseldorf and Hanover, in offering to take in children from Gaza and Israel, following similar moves by France and Spain. While national support is key for entry and medical coordination, Berlin remains cautious, saying the priority is broader local aid. Chancellery Minister Thorsten Frei said Monday that transfers would help only “individual cases.”

MADRID | Spain’s conservative Popular Party has demanded answers over multimillion-euro contracts awarded to Huawai for storing judicial wiretaps, calling top ministers to testify before Congress after the summer break. Party heavyweight Juan Bravo accused the government of ignoring EU and US warnings about security risks tied to the Chinese tech giant.

THE HAGUE | The Netherlands will be the first NATO ally to send a €500 million package of US-made weapons, including Patriot missile systems, to Ukraine under a new European-funded deal praised by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The move is part of a broader NATO-backed push in which European countries provide US weapons from their stockpiles. Read more.

WARSAW | In an official visit to Warsaw, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced that Kyiv has requested a €120 million loan from Poland to buy Polish-made military equipment, including Piorun missile launchers and Krab self-propelled howitzers.

Also on Euractiv

In Geneva, EU envoys begin talks today with governments from all over the world in an effort to land a landmark global treaty on plastic pollution.

The 96 countries aim to reach an agreement by 14 August that would cap plastic production and ban the most problematic products derived from it.

Plastic waste poses severe risks to both human and animal health, and without intervention, global pollution levels are projected to triple by 2060.

Is Europe selling ‘fake’ paella rice?

In Valencia, the cradle of paella, farmers are sounding the alarm – not over saffron or rabbit, but over rice. As more imported rice makes its way into Spanish supermarkets from Asia and South America, producers warn it’s becoming increasingly hard for consumers to know what’s in the bag.

EU trade schemes and lax labelling allow rice processed in Spain to masquerade as local, leaving farmers feeling undercut and paella purists betrayed. Without reform, Europe’s most emblematic dish may be slowly losing its soul. Read more.

Entre nous

Haim Regev is ending his four-year term as Israel’s ambassador to the EU and will be succeeded later this month by Avi Nir-Feldklein, who previously served as Israel’s ambassador to Norway and deputy head of mission in Berlin.

Contributors: Thomas Møller-Nielsen, Nick Alipour, Inés Fernández-Pontes, Aleksandra Krzysztoszek, Orlando Whitehead, Sara Bertolli

Editors: Christina Zhao, Sofia Mandilara