Israel should join the European Union

As you all surely know, the European Union is an association of 27 European countries, which in many respects function as one country, including a common parliament, a single economy, and cooperation in the areas of legislation and security. The European Union was born after World War II with the aim of speeding up the reconstruction of the devastated Europe and preventing further wars on the continent, and is currently one of the most stable and leading economic, political and security forces in the world. The addition of the State of Israel to the European Union will raise the standard of living for all of us, due to a considerable improvement in our economic, security and social situation.

I will start with the strongest motive, in my opinion, why it is worthwhile and worthwhile for the State of Israel to join the European Union, and that is the economic motive. In fact, the European Union is one big market without political borders. People, goods and money move freely in it, between open borders, without customs payments and without limiting the amounts of money transferred from country to country in economic transactions. In some of the countries of the Union, as we all know, there is a single currency (the Euro), which helps the trend of economic union. The profit that the EU member states derive from this, and that the State of Israel will enjoy if it is allowed to join the European Union, is clear and of great significance:

• First, foreign investors will be able very easily, without various tax restrictions and immigration laws, to come and invest in Israel, a situation that will of course bring a lot of money into the country, create jobs and contribute to reducing unemployment.
• In the same way, the European labor market will be open to us: Israeli investors with initiatives will be able to very easily implement their ideas in Europe. Their potential consumer market will increase by hundreds of percent, and a large and diverse pool of resources will be open to them, all without various tariffs and various legal restrictions.
• In addition, people who have difficulty finding work in Israel will be able to very easily, without immigration restrictions of any kind, try their luck in Europe. For example, it is known that many Israelis have difficulty finding work in their field in Israel. The country is small, and the number of places in each field is limited. For example, and I will give a personal example, in the field of criminology, the number of jobs in Israel is very limited. There are only three universities relevant to research in the field of criminology, and the number of institutions in all of them is extremely limited. The European market will open up many and varied employment opportunities for us.

Political argument - an upgrade to the army and security

a girlIn terms of military and security, the European Union members cooperate, while maintaining the autonomy of each country in the fields of foreign policy and defense. Close cooperation of this kind is critical to dealing with the security threats of the 21st century. An excellent example of this is the field of combating terrorism. As we know, terrorism today is an international phenomenon, when terrorist cells at one end of the world can be closely linked and even prevented from leaders at the other end.

The clearest example of this is the attack on the Twin Towers in the USA, which was actually motivated by the al-Qaeda organization in Afghanistan. The importance of international cooperation in the war against terrorism is known and talked about, and even takes place today. However, there is no doubt that there is always suspicion when it comes to sharing intelligence information in such a sensitive area. Even between friendly countries, the information is not transferred in full, and the cooperation, although it exists, is partial.

This situation often harms our ability, and the ability of other democratic countries, to fight terrorism. One of the great gains of the EU countries is in closer and safer cooperation in the field of combating terrorism. The State of Israel, if it were a member of the European Union, could benefit from exposure to a great deal of intelligence information and close cooperation within the framework of the war on terrorism, thereby possibly easing one of its difficult areas of confrontation. To the same extent, of course, it could help European countries in this area and thus, perhaps, contribute a little to reducing the phenomenon of global terrorism.

Third argument - the rule of law and the fight against crime

Closer cooperation in the fields of security and internal security is also reflected in the field of fighting crime. The fight against crime, especially serious and organized crime, has increased in importance and on the scale of priorities of Israeli society in general, and of the Israel Police in particular, in recent years. Recently, the Commissioner stated in a press conference that the fight against crime has become the number one goal of MI. Similar to the fight against terrorism, even the fight against crime in the 21st century crosses borders. A small example of this can be found in dealing with Internet crimes, which requires close cooperation between police forces in different countries.

The deepening of the European Union has gradually led, and especially in recent years, to close cooperation between the police forces in the EU countries, both in the fields of intelligence and in the operational fields, which greatly increase Europe's ability to deal with the phenomenon of organized crime. If the State of Israel is accepted as a member of the Union, it will also be able to gain similar cooperations, extensive and almost infinitely longer than those that exist today, which will be able to help reduce the phenomenon of serious and organized crime in Israel. And here I come to my third and last point.

Fourth argument - social improvement

As I mentioned, the expectation is that Israel's accession to the European Union will contribute to it both on the economic and security levels. Important contributions which will indirectly even lead to a significant contribution on the social level:

Due to the expected improvement in both the economy and the security of the citizens of Israel, many resources, including time, money, and manpower, will be able to be directed (finally!) to the restoration of the education system, the health system, welfare, culture and research. Here it is also important to note that the free movement, without borders, of Israeli citizens to Europe, and of citizens of the EU countries to Israel, will lead to greater cultural exposure - different languages, cultures and customs, landscapes, lifestyles and different worldviews, all of which will contribute to cultural and social wealth and promote Tolerance and acceptance of difference.

Summary

In conclusion, if the State of Israel is admitted to the European Union, it will gain a lot of profit from it. First, in the economic field - opening the borders without various legal restrictions, taxes and duties, will lead to bringing many foreign investors to Israel and creating many jobs, at the same time as opening the European market for Israeli entrepreneurs. Second, in the field of security - closer cooperation with the countries of the European Union in the areas of the fight against terrorism and the fight against serious and organized crime, based on relationships of closeness and trust, will undoubtedly help the State of Israel in dealing with these challenges. Positive developments in these two areas will allow the State of Israel to free up precious resources for social areas that have been neglected for a long time: education, health, welfare, culture and research, and even for expanding horizons and encouraging tolerance. Thanks!