Answer given by Ms Gabriel on behalf of the European Commission
22.2.2021
The Commission condemns all forms of human rights violations under any circumstance as reflected at EU level in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The participation of Israel in Horizon 2020 is governed by an international agreement[1]. It regulates the conditions for participation following the Guidelines on the eligibility of Israeli entities[2].
According to Horizon Regulation[3], research and innovation activities must comply with ethical principles and relevant national, Union and international legislation, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights and Protocols. Several mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance. The Commission is very strict to ensure respect of eligibility requirements.
Each Horizon beneficiary needs to submit a declaration on honour confirming compliance and fulfil the requirements throughout the duration of the project. The Commission can check at any point.
The Israeli Ministry of Public Security role is to participate on and shape field-testing events to gather feedback on the case work of child sexual abuse, simulating analyses of open fora in Hebrew language to automatically detect the content related to sexual abuse.
Compliance with ethical principles and legislation is ensured by an appraisal scheme including self-assessment, two-stage review, ethics screening and, if necessary, assessment by the Commission. Non-compliance may trigger penalties[4]. The project[5] mentioned is under reinforced monitoring for financial issues and has undergone two ethics checks.
No issues related to participation and activities of the Israeli Ministry have been reported[6]. The project complies with ethical, societal, and legal standards.
- [1] Agreement between the European Union and the State of Israel on the participation of Israel in the Union programme ‘Horizon 2020 — the framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020)’.
- [2] Commission Notice No 2013/C 205/05.
- [3] Regulation (EU) No 1291/2013.
- [4] Article 34 of the Horizon 2020 Model Grant Agreement.
- [5] ROXANNE
- [6] A third Ethics Check is foreseen for early 2021.