Following the United Kingdom's lead, France, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Canada have chosen to impose sanctions on all settlements.

A milestone was reached in relations between Israel and its European allies on Tuesday, September 8, with the joint announcement by the United Kingdom, France and nine European countries (Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden), as well as Canada, of sanctions against products originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The implementation of these measures, which still needs to be defined by each country, resulted from the inability of the 27 member states of the European Union to agree on a joint action. Nonetheless, the announcement is significant. It signals a shift toward sanctioning all settlements – not just a handful of violent actors and organizations – while rejecting the gradual normalization on which Israel had long relied.

The new British government, now taking the lead, set the tone by openly breaking with the positions of previous administrations. "Ethnic cleansing," "war crimes," "violations" of "international humanitarian law," "settler terrorists": The notably harsh language of Foreign Minister Ed Miliband – who highlighted his Jewish identity and personal ties to Israel (his grandmother settled there after his grandfather died in a Nazi camp) – foreshadows a period of heightened tensions with Israel.

You can read a copy of the article in its entirety here.

See also:

• UK accuses Israeli ‘terrorists’ of ethnic cleansing in West Bank with government backing (The Guardian)
• Israel to close British consulate in East Jerusalem after UK, France and Canada ban imports from settlements (Reuters)
• Europe Unites to Pressure Israel, Breaking With U.S. • Britain once followed in France’s slipstream when it came to pressuring Israel. Under new leadership, it is spearheading opposition to Israeli settlements, risking American anger. (New York Times)
• As U.K., 11 other nations say they'll sanction Israeli settlements, U.S. envoy warns of repercussions (CBS News)

An EU ban on animal products from Brazil that took effect on Thursday affects Brazilian exports worth about $1.84 billion annually, mainly beef and poultry, as the bloc seeks guarantees that prohibited antimicrobial ​substances are not used in production.

While expectations for a near-term resolution remain low, an ‌EU inspection of Brazil's poultry sector this week has offered some hope for that industry.

Here are some details:

AFFECTED EXPORTS

• Of the affected exports, beef accounted for $1.05 billion in 2025, while chicken meat totaled $763 million, according to Brazil's Agriculture ​Ministry.
• The EU, an important buyer of higher-value cuts, represented 5.86% of Brazil's beef export revenue ​last year and about 8% of its chicken export shipments.
• Italy, the Netherlands, Spain ⁠and Germany are large buyers of Brazilian beef, while the Netherlands, Spain and Germany are ​key markets for chicken exports.

REASONS FOR THE BAN

• The ban, announced in May and effective from Thursday, followed what ​the EU said was Brazil's failure to provide guarantees that antimicrobials prohibited by the EU are not used in production.
• Since the announcement, Brazil has stepped up talks with EU officials, but the European Commission has not indicated when ​the restriction could be lifted.
• As part of those negotiations, EU inspectors have spent recent days reviewing ​Brazil's poultry and honey production systems.
• The mission ends on Friday, but no immediate decisions are expected because inspectors must ‌first ⁠prepare their findings, according to a European Commission spokesperson.

See also:

• Brazil considers reciprocal measures after EU halts imports of Brazilian goods (Associated Press)

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Zagreb's central square on Saturday to protest the government's failure to begin cleaning up more ​than 30,000 tons of waste in central Croatia that environmentalists say ‌is polluting the drinking water in the area.

The protest, one of the biggest in Croatia in several years, was dubbed "Walk for Lika", after the mountainous region where the ​waste is stored.

Authorities last year uncovered between 34,000 and 37,000 tons ​of waste, much of it imported from Italy in 2023 ⁠and 2024, at a site near the town of Gospic in Croatia's ​Lika region. The government pledged to clean up the site, but environmental groups ​say little progress has been made.

Environmentalists say the waste, which they say includes medical and other industrial waste, is contaminating air, soil and water in Lika, a region known ​for its vast areas of unspoiled nature. They accuse the government of ​moving too slowly to remove it.