Peter Power, head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland, accepted the letter from People Before Profit TD, Richard Boyd Barrett, outside Europe House today. The protest coincided with the European Political Community summit at Dublin’s Convention Centre, where around 50 heads of state or government were expected.
Addressing the crowd, Power said it was important to “spotlight Gaza” and to be “a voice for the voiceless”. He said the Commission would now examine the details of the petition and that a response would come “shortly”.
“I want to stress the importance we attach to this initiative, and I want to encourage you to keep up the good work,” he said. “People in Gaza need people to represent them here and elsewhere.”
The initiative
The petition is a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) titled “Demand the full suspension of the EU–Israel Association Agreement in view of Israel’s violations of human rights.” The campaign behind it, Justice for Palestine, is led and funded by the European Left Alliance.
Its organisers argue that the EU should not keep an agreement that continues to legitimise and finance a state that they are accusing of crimes against humanity and war crimes. The campaign’s own website goes further, describing a “live-streamed genocide in Gaza, funded with EU money”.
The Commission registered the initiative on November 25th, 2025, and signature collection opened on January 13th. Organisers announced in April that it had passed one million signatures, which they described as the fastest of any ECI since the mechanism was introduced.
Organisers handed the petition to the Commission in Brussels today. The Commission said it had validated 1,117,104 statements of support and that the initiative met the required thresholds in 12 member states. It is the 15th valid ECI the Commission will examine.
What happens next
Because the initiative passed one million validated signatures, the Commission must examine it and issue a reply within six months. It has until May 12th, 2027 to set out what action it intends to take, if any, and why. It will meet the organisers in the coming weeks, and the European Parliament will then hold a public hearing.
The Commission is not obliged to propose legislation. The petition asks it to put a proposal for full suspension to the Council, so even a Commission proposal would need the backing of member states.
The agreement, which has been in force since 2000, includes a human rights clause stating that relations between the EU and Israel are based on respect for human rights and democratic principles. Campaigners say that that clause is the basis for suspension. Organisers also note that the EU remains Israel’s largest trading partner.
More than a million Europeans have now formally and legitimately asked the question. Now the Commission has six months to answer it
