Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot confirmed on Tuesday that Belgium will vote in favour of partially suspending Israel's participation in the Horizon Europe programme.
This is the first time that the Israeli government could face a possible sanction from the EU.
It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed a full military reoccupation of Gaza, while it impedes the Palestinian population from accessing adequate humanitarian aid, which is causing severe famine and malnutrition.
Prévot announced on Tuesday that Belgium will vote in favour of the European Commission's proposal to partially suspend Israel's participation in the Horizon Europe programme.
The move had been proposed by the European Commission last week, but had failed to find a majority among EU Member States, amid opposition from Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, with Germany and Italy asking for more time to decide.
"This proposed decision marks a turning point in relations between the European Union and Israel and constitutes a concrete response to the Israeli government's violations not only of Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, but also of its humanitarian commitments to the EU," said a statement by the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
This is the first measure ever proposed by the European Commission under this agreement, following numerous requests from Belgium and other Member States for a firm response to Israel's failures to uphold the agreement.
Palestinians carry limited aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestine, August 02, 2025. Credit: Belga
The measure proposed by the European Commission would exclusively concern the participation of Israeli entities in the European Innovation Council Accelerator (EIC). It is part of the EU's leading research fund, Horizon Europe.
The programme is designed to support start-ups and SMEs that are developing breakthrough innovations and emerging technologies with potential dual-use applications, particularly in sensitive areas such as cybersecurity, drones and artificial intelligence.
The Commission decision to propose a partial suspension of Israel's participation in Horizon Europe applies only to funding to start-ups developing disruptive technologies and does not affect collaborative research projects and existing contracts funded by EIC Accelerator.
The Brussels Times understands that Israel has already benefited to the tune of over €200 million from the EIC fund, with around €135 million in the form of grants and around €65 million in the form of equity investments.
'Strong signal'
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot hailed this first step forward, while calling for more ambitious action.
"Belgium's support for this sanction against Israel is a strong political signal from our Government. We call on the Commission to quickly submit further concrete proposals for measures concerning the association agreement," the minister said in a statement on Tuesday.
"We must increase pressure on the Israeli Government to allow full and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to Gaza," Prévot said. "We also call once again on Hamas to provide the Israeli hostages with the food they need and to release them immediately and unconditionally. Respect for human rights cannot and will never be negotiable."
When the Danish Presidency of the Council considers that the necessary qualified majority has been reached, the text will be placed on the agenda of the ambassadors of EU Member States on 13 August and then adopted by the Council by written procedure.
The measure would enter into force 30 calendar days after its notification to the Association Council.
Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken to Gaza as hostages. At least 61,020 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since then.
