EU staff could strike over Gaza

Euractiv

2 days ago

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In today's edition: Civil servants push for Gaza action
Budget rift: Merz vs von der Leyen
Trump threatens EU with 35% levy
Diplomat investigated over sexist blog
'Endemic' police abuse in Kosovo In the capital
As the hunger crisis in Gaza deepens, a growing chorus of EU staffers are contemplating strike action, contending that their institutions have failed to exert sufficient pressure on Israel to let vital humanitarian aid into the besieged region.
The proposal is still in its early stages, and key trade unions, whose support is essential, have so far hesitated to back the move, according to four civil servants involved.
Oreste Madia, a policy officer in the European Commission, has sent an open letter to President Ursula von der Leyen and Kaja Kallas, the bloc's foreign policy chief, warning that Europe's moral authority is at stake.
The letter – which Madia says has already garnered over 1,300 signatures from staffers across various institutions – calls for 'bold and principled action now', urging the EU to leverage its position as Israel's largest trading partner to demand compliance with international humanitarian law.
Madia has set a target of 6,000 signatures, and warned that if EU leadership fails to respond, strikes may follow. 'We are talking to lawyers to see if there are unions we can connect with and call a strike,' he said.
'We are fighting for the very soul of the EU,' Madia declared. 'If I am complicit in a genocide, what am I doing here?'
The accusation of genocide hits a sensitive chord for Israel, a nation born in the wake of the Holocaust. As defined in international law, it refers to acts committed with the intent to partially or wholly destroy a group. To substantiate such a charge, international law requires proof of intent – which Israeli leaders fiercely deny, insisting that Hamas wants to ruin the Jewish state.
Meanwhile, EU Staff for Peace, a collective that supports but did not initiate the letter, has been staging weekly protests outside European institutions in Brussels, banging pots and pans and fasting in solidarity with Gaza. According to a letter seen by Euractiv, their pressure tactics have included challenging staff representatives over the presence of an Israeli military attaché in the Berlaymont, as well as the 'intimidation' and 'interrogation' they've faced in advocating for Palestinian rights.
Tensions within the EU are palpable. Two signatories likened Israel's actions with Nazism before immediately retracting their comments. All four civil servants I spoke to stressed that their aim is simply to make the EU comply with its own stated values and international law, as they are obligated to do as civil servants.
In the political sphere, Socialists, Greens and Left-wing lawmakers have put out a statement calling Israel's actions in Gaza 'genocide' and demanding urgent action from EU leadership. The EU's top socialist, Commissioner Teresa Ribera, has described Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza as an unacceptable provocation.
Since Hamas' attack on 7 October 2023, about 1,200 Israelis including over 700 civilians were killed, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza, according to Reuters. Since then, Israel's military response has devastated the densely packed enclave, claiming the lives of more than 61,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, whose figures have been deemed reliable by the UN and other international bodies.
On Tuesday, Belgium confirmed it would vote in favour of the Commission's proposal to partly suspend Israel from the EU's flagship Horizon research programme.
The move could be green lit as early as 13 August if a qualified majority emerges – though that remains elusive.
As global crises reshape our world...
Chris Kremidas-Courtney, senior visiting fellow at European Policy Centre, believes the need for divergent thinkers has never been more urgent. He argues that it's not conventional expertise but polymaths – those who can see new paths and connect knowledge across disciplines – that will guide us forward. In an era of chaos, as the old order crumbles, we must learn to walk without a clear path, and that requires embracing the very minds we've too often sidelined, Kremidas-Courtney writes in his latest op-ed.
Budget rift: Merz vs von der Leyen
Late on budget reveal day, German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius sharply criticised the Commission's proposal as 'not sellable' in the current climate of fiscal restraint. His blunt remarks – which came hours after von der Leyen's unveiling of the proposal in July – reflect the growing chasm between Berlin and Brussels.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has long been frustrated by what he sees as the Commission's failure to tackle deregulation and competitiveness. Despite a personal rapport with von der Leyen, this policy rift signals tough battles ahead, particularly with the German elections looming. Read more.
Trump threatens EU with 35% levy
Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to slap the EU with a blanket 35% levy if Brussels fails to fulfill its pledge to invest $600 (€518) billion in American infrastructure. 'They gave us $600 billion that we can invest in anything we want,' the US president told CNBC. 'I can do anything I want with it.' The promised investments are part of last month's EU-US trade deal, which also includes a flat 15% tariff on most EU goods. Read more.
Diplomat investigated over sexist blog
Austria is reeling from the resignation of its EU ambassador, Thomas Oberreiter, after allegations surfaced that he authored a graphically misogynistic sex blog. Foreign minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has ordered a sweeping review of IT security, led by her security policy advisor Thomas Starlinger, the ministry said. According to Austria's Der Standard , Oberreiter's emails could have been hacked. The capitals
BERLIN | In a rare move, the Commission directly rebuffed German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil's criticism that the EU is 'too weak' on trade policy, stating its decisions were aligned with signals from member states, including Berlin. Klingbeil's remarks, made during a US visit, were seen as a jab at the executive, which holds exclusive control over trade policy. French President Emmanuel Macron made similar remarks last week. The Commission has suspended retaliatory tariffs, with hopes that the US will honour a pledge to reduce car tariffs. Read more.
WARSAW | PiS-backed Karol Nawrocki will be sworn in as Poland's president today after a narrow victory in June. The inauguration will open with a mass, followed by a secular ceremony. Nawrocki faced scrutiny during the race for alleged ties to the criminal underworld, a dubious property deal, and participation in a football-hooligan brawl, which he did not deny. Despite reported irregularities in the vote count, the Supreme Court upheld the election. Read more.
MADRID | Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares criticised the EU's response to Israel's aid blockade in Gaza, calling it 'too little too late' in an interview on Onda Cero, a national radio network. Albares echoed PM Pedro Sánchez's call for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, condemning Israel's 'heinous crimes' and reaffirming Spain's refusal to recognise the 'illegal annexation' of Gaza and the West Bank. The remarks reflect the nation's increasingly vocal stance on the ongoing conflict.
STOCKHOLM | Sweden will send €238 million in military aid to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket ammo, as part of a €433 million joint package with Denmark and Norway. The initiative, backed by NATO and the US, aims to quickly deliver air defence systems from European stockpiles to bolster Ukraine's defences. Read more.
BUCHAREST | Ion Iliescu, Romania's first post-Communist president, passed away yesterday at 95, leaving a legacy that mingles democratic promise with state violence. A central figure in the country's post-1989 transition, Iliescu guided Romanians through the fragile early years of democracy, but later faced charges of crimes against humanity over the brutal 1990 'Mineriada' crackdown. Read more.
PRAGUE | Czech NGOs, in an open letter, pressured the conservative government to criticise Israel's 'indiscriminate and disproportionate' military operations in Gaza. But foreign minister Jan Lipavský declined, saying it will avoid making declaratory gestures and stick to quiet diplomacy and aid instead. Read more.
VILNIUS | Lithuania has renewed calls for NATO to enhance air defences in the Baltic region following a series of suspected Russian drone incursions into its airspace. Despite growing attention on European air defence, officials warn of persistent gaps, urging the full implementation of NATO's rotational air defence model. Read more. Also on Euractiv