Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new European Union guidelines on settlements were published in their entirety on 1 January; and whether there are any plans to make the guidelines obligatory.

Guidelines on the eligibility of Israeli entities and their activities in the territories occupied by Israel since June 1967 for grants, prizes and financial instruments funded by the EU were published on 19 July 2013 and came into force on 1 January 2014. At present, there are no plans to make these guidelines obligatory.

In addition, common messages aimed at raising awareness among EU citizens and businesses regarding involvement in financial and economic activities in the settlements have been published by 21 EU Member States, including the UK. These are also voluntary guidelines, and there are no plans to make them mandatory.