Denmark seeks EU backing to suspend the EU–Israel trade deal as Copenhagen hosts EU foreign ministers on 29–30 August 2025, arguing that stronger economic pressure is needed amid the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Statsministeren) and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (Udenrigsministeren) say the step should apply until Israel shows a marked change in behaviour and complies with international humanitarian law.
What Denmark proposes under the association agreement
Denmark wants the EU to use the leverage embedded in the EU–Israel Association Agreement, focusing on the trade pillar. Copenhagen’s line is to temporarily suspend preferential trade elements and related cooperation instruments until Israel’s conduct changes. Officials stress that the measure targets the government’s policy, not people-to-people ties.
How a suspension could be adopted in the EU
Under EU practice, restrictive steps can be taken against a partner country by qualified majority for certain programmes and measures, while a full, treaty‑level suspension faces higher political hurdles.
Denmark’s immediate push concentrates on measures that can pass with a qualified majority—such as curbing access to EU funding streams and elements linked to the trade chapter—to avoid a veto stalemate.
Germany’s stance and a split EU
Several member states support tougher pressure, but Germany and others are reluctant to touch the trade deal. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has acknowledged limited consensus even on narrower steps like restricting Israel’s participation in Horizon Europe.
This makes Denmark’s task one of coalition‑building among capitals willing to back a partial suspension now.
Copenhagen’s rationale: humanitarian law and credibility
Frederiksen argues the Israeli government is not meeting its responsibilities in Gaza. Løkke Rasmussen says Denmark remains a friend of Israel, yet cannot look away when international law is breached.
For Copenhagen, aligning policy instruments with stated EU values is also a test of the Union’s credibility on human rights conditionality.
What happens next at the Copenhagen meetings
The informal “Gymnich” in Copenhagen does not adopt formal decisions, but it can set direction. Denmark will canvas support, refine the legal and political pathway for a suspension, and press for steps that can be enacted swiftly at Council level. Any move on the EU–Israel trade deal would have ripple effects for Nordic and EU supply chains, customs preferences, and research ties—issues to watch if a qualified‑majority package advances.
Denmark’s bid to suspend the EU–Israel trade deal elevates the political cost of inaction but faces resistance from key capitals. Whether the EU can move beyond statements to enforce its association commitments will be a near‑term test of unity—and of the credibility of its human‑rights conditionality across the neighbourhood.
