RSS Feeds
The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it    
Occupation magazine - Settlements

Home page  back Print  Send To friend

EU Parliament Members call for marking goods from settlements
World Council of Churches/Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme
November 30, 2010
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FNONSGML+WDECL+P7-DCL-2010-0064+0+DOC+PDF+V0%2F%2FEN&language=EN



The European Parliament may soon issue a statement calling for companies profiting by selling goods from illegal Israeli settlements to label their goods more accurately. Campaigners are asking European Citizens to contact their MEPs and asking them to sign Written Declaration 0064/2010 (see below). This is a crucial step in pressuring companies to make their relationship with the occupation more transparent.

You may wish to support this campaign by contacting your MEP or encouraging your own contacts to do the same.

As I understand it, Written Declarations, if half the MEPs sign them, must be taken into consideration by member states. Half the total MEPs must sign the declaration for it to be binding. Your MEPs` names and details can be found easily on the internet, specifically here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/public/geoSearch.do;jsessionid=1A28AA3C62196EC12ED7EDAF842B3DF7.node2?language=en

For a copy of the written declaration, Google:

Written Declaration 0064/2010

or click here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-%2F%2FEP%2F%2FNONSGML+WDECL+P7-DCL-2010-0064+0+DOC+PDF+V0%2F%2FEN&language=EN

We wish you all the best in this Advent season.

Best wishes,

EAPPI Communications Officer

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (www.eappi.org)

Office: +972 2 6289402 (ext. 109)
Orange: +972 54 7379766
Jawwal: +970 59 7027468

For updates from EAPPI, please join our Facebook group

Find EAPPI fact sheets on our website.

World Council of Churches
P.O. Box 741
91000 Jerusalem

==========================================

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

WRITTEN DECLARATION

On the labelling of goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territories
pursuant to Rule 123 of the Rules of Procedure

Presented by: Arlene McCarthy, H�l�ne Flautre, Sirpa Pietik�inen, Eva-Britt Svensson
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Written declaration on the labelling of goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territories

The European Parliament,

� having regard to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas European consumers have a right to accurate labelling on the origin of products
they purchase, without the risk of being misled,

B. whereas there is concern that goods from Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OPT) may be sold in Europe labelled as `Produce of the West Bank` or as
produce of Israel,

C. whereas in Case C-386/08 the European Court of Justice found that produce from Israeli
settlements in the OPT was neither produce of Israel nor Palestinian produce for the
purposes of reduced tariffs under trade agreements,

D. whereas clear labelling to differentiate between goods from Israeli settlements in the OPT
and Palestinian products is an important element of consumer choice,

E. whereas retailers in some Member States have introduced labelling which distinguishes
between Israeli settlement produce and Palestinian produce from the OPT,

1. Calls on the Commission to produce guidance on the labelling of goods from the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, ensuring that Israeli settlement products are clearly
distinguished from Israeli goods and Palestinian products;

2. Calls on Member States to ensure, through their enforcement of EU labelling law, that
Israeli settlement products are clearly distinguished from Israeli goods and Palestinian
products;

3. Instructs its President to forward this declaration, together with the names of the
signatories, to the Parliaments of the Member States.
Links to the latest articles in this section

Two tiny Palestinian villages, supported by activists, hold on against brutal murderous settlers
President Biden, open the US Consulate in East Jerusalem!
A `Routine` Vote Could Be Trouble for Settlers – and Government