Finland backs EU measures against illegal settlement goods but says national ban is unlikely

Finland said Wednesday that it supports continued European Union action against trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements, but it is unlikely to introduce national restrictions because it lacks the necessary legal authority.

The Foreign Ministry told Anadolu that Finland joined a joint declaration by 12 countries supporting trade curbs because the initiative aligns with its long-standing foreign policy goals, including upholding international law and the rules-based international order, supporting a two-state solution and backing the Palestinian Authority.

“Finland is unlikely to impose national sanctions or restrictions due to the fact that we lack national legal basis for it,” the ministry said.

It added that Finland supports further EU work on settlement products, based on a European Commission options paper presented before the July Foreign Affairs Council. The paper examined ways to differentiate access to the EU internal market for goods produced in Israeli settlements.

France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Spain, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Sweden pledged Tuesday to impose national restrictions on trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements or to support EU-wide measures.

The joint declaration said the 12 countries were “seriously considering” adopting such restrictions or taking other measures in line with their national procedures.

“We firmly oppose any action resulting in the annexation of Palestinian land and the forced displacement of Palestinian populations,” the statement said.

Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government took office in late 2022, it has approved the establishment of 104 new settlements, while 160 agricultural settlement outposts have been set up in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian data.

In the first half of 2026, Israeli settlers carried out 3,488 attacks in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian government’s Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.

The commission said the attacks killed 17 Palestinians and caused the full or partial displacement of 26 Bedouin and pastoral communities. It also reported the establishment of 42 new settlement outposts.

Palestinian figures indicate that around 750,000 Israeli settlers live in 194 illegal settlements and 400 illegal outposts across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967. The international community regards Israeli settlements in the occupied territories as illegal under international law, a position Israel rejects.

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