EU - ‘What Is Good for Europe Is Good for Israel’
The “what is good for Europe is good for Israel” EU import reform was passed in the Knesset plenum.
The legislation is a set of four laws meant to fight Israel’s high cost of living by following EU standards for consumer goods, and cutting bureaucracy around imports.
In a poll conducted in April 2023 using a sample of the Israeli adult population, 60% of the respondents claimed that the government is mainly responsible for the high cost of living, placing an emphasis on the increase in food prices.
“The ‘what is good for Europe is good for Israel’ reform is expected to remove trade barriers that restricted import to Israel and led to high prices; and accordingly, to increase the variety of products available to consumers along with lowering the cost of living,” said Yoav Gradus, director-general of the Budget Department, in the Finance Ministry.
-www.jpost.com, 5 August 2024
Arno's Commentary
EU standards for consumer goods are indeed valuable to Israel as well as the EU.
While the state of Israel is only 76 years old, it has excelled faster than virtually all other developing countries and reached the level of Europe.
Of interest is the comparison between Israel and the neighboring Arab states.
Country Life Expectancy Infant Mortality Real GDP per capita
(per 1,000 live births)
Israel 83.1 years 2.8 $48,300
Egypt 75.0 years 16.8 $17,000
Lebanon 79.2 years 6.7 $12,300
Syria 74.8 years 15.1 $2,900
Jordan 76.2 years 13.2 $9,400
These figures show the Jewish State’s super success when compared with its Arab neighbors. While Israel has diplomatic relations with Egypt and Jordan, that is not the case with Syria and Lebanon. Here we are reminded of the words of Deuteronomy 15:6: “For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.”
Today we see the beginning stages, as God’s original promises will yet be fulfilled, such as Deuteronomy 7:6: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
