EU delegation in Israel to promote business ties

From AFP:

The European Commission’s vice president was in Israel on Tuesday to strengthen business ties and promote cooperation, a spokesperson said.

Antonio Tajani arrived in Israel on Monday at the head of a delegation of 55 business executives from 17 countries aimed at strengthening business relations and "exploring further opportunities for cooperation" between small- and medium-sized European and Israeli enterprises [SMEs], a statement said.

Tajani's mission "reflects the EU's belief that there remains untapped potential in bilateral relations and this visit aims at finding new synergies," it said pointing to Israel's reputation for innovation and its "excellent research institutions."

An EU spokesperson said Tajani had met Science and Technology Minister Yaakov Peri on Monday and visited the Israeli Space Agency, signing an agreement on cooperation over global satellite navigation systems.

He also met Economy Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday, with the pair signing signed two letters of intent on industrial policy cooperation between SMEs.

In an address to a water conference in Tel Aviv, Tajani, who is the EU commissioner for industry and entrepreneurship, stressed the importance of bilateral relations to promote growth, including of green industries.

Ansamed adds:

The mission for growth to Tel Aviv follows on one to Russia in June and one to China in July, and has a triple objective: to increase cooperation in the industrial, tourism, and space and innovation sectors; to help European companies operate in Israel; and to promote entrepreneurial contacts and develop business opportunities on the green tech, communications, space, and industrial machinery sectors. The EU is the number one exporter to Israel with trade volume of 17 billion euros, and is the second importer from Israel after the US, with volume of 12.6 billion euros.

It would be interesting to know how the delegation will discuss the EU position on dealing with companies who have operations in Judea and Samaria.

Businesspeople are unlikely to be enthralled with any restrictions on who they are allowed to deal with, especially when the potential partner is world-class.