Miguel Afonso Caetano@remixtures@tldr.nettime.org
"Brussels civil servants are locked in an escalating standoff with the European Commission over their right to protest the EU’s stance on Israel.
A growing number of staff argue that the bloc’s failure to exert pressure on Israel while it’s accused of committing war crimes in Gaza makes it impossible for them to perform their duties without breaching EU and international law.
EU institutions have imposed “complicity” on employees and violated their “moral and legal obligations, suppressed conscientious resistance and delayed meaningful action,” one official, asking to be identified only as Ramona for fear of professional repercussions, told POLITICO.
The bloc’s own diplomatic arm has accused Israel of violating its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel trade agreement and has floated cutting the country off from both favorable trade relations and its Horizon research-sharing program. However, European leaders have yet to agree on either measure, drawing scorn from critics who complain that the Brussels is failing to take its own treaties seriously.
The Commission maintains that EU foreign policy is a matter for national governments, and has warned its employees to stay out of politics. Commission spokesperson Arianna Podestà cast the internal outcry over the EU’s failure to cut ties with Israel as inherently political and noted that staff must “comply with their duties and obligations … in an impartial, loyal and neutral manner.”"
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-staff-revolt-over-gaza-inaction-grows-israel-protest-war-crimes/
#EU #EC #Brussels #Palestine #Gaza #Israel #HumanRights #WarCrimes