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. |
|
|
|
