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Israel maintains import prohibitions for reasons of protecting human health, public morals, security, and the environment, or in accordance with its international commitments under the Basel Convention on Hazardous Wastes, the Montreal Protocol, and CITES (Table 3.9). Import prohibitions are provided for in the 2005 Customs Order and the Free Import Order of 2014.

Table 3.9 Import prohibitions, 2018
Items Reason for prohibition
(...)
Matches made from white or yellow phosphorus Environment protection
(…)

Israel applies non-automatic licensing procedures under the Free Import Order of 2014, mainly for reasons of (...) the environment, (...) to comply with international (non-WTO) commitments, (...)

Annex 2 to the Free Import Order, 2014 lists goods that are subject to specific standards and technical requirements in order to ensure (...) environmental objectives. [16]

[16] Annex 2 lists 882 items (HS 4- to 8-digit level) plus HS chapters 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 46, 57, 61 and 62.

Israel applies a mandatory lesser duty rule in respect of final AD and CVD measures; where the Commissioner or the Advisory Committee finds that a duty less than the margin of dumping or rate of subsidization is sufficient to prevent material injury to the domestic industry, the lower rate is to be applied. The rule has been applied to all measures imposed since 2013. Further, under Israeli law, the imposition of AD/CVD duties is permissive and, in deciding whether to levy a duty, the Minister of Economy and Industry must take into account, inter alia, the trade relationship between Israel and foreign countries and reasons pertaining to the economy in general. Thus, in 2010, the Minister of Finance determined that there was no causal link between the dumping and the injury and no such duty was imposed on recycled containerboards from the European Union.

Israel maintains export licensing and approval (permit) schemes. Products may require an export licence/approval for reasons such as commitments under (non-WTO) international agreements; (…) and conservation of local resources. Products subject to export licensing are listed in Annexes 1 [28], 3 [29] and 4 of the Free Export Order of 2006 (as amended); most are chemicals or agricultural products. (...)

[28] HS chapter 6.
[29] HS 4- to 8-digit levels, 58 items.

During the review period, Israel eliminated the following programmes that had been notified to the WTO Committee on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (…) the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Programme.[35]

[35] WTO document G/SCM/N/253/ISR, 25 September 2014.

The main objective of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Programme was to achieve a reduction of 20% by 2020 of electricity production from polluting resources. To do so, it was open to all sectors, including industry, tourism, commerce, services, agriculture, and the municipal and public sector. In 2012-13, its expenditures amounted to US$3 million. This Programme was terminated in 2013. [41]

[41] WTO document G/SCM/N/253/ISR, 25 September 2014.

(...) The Commissioner of Standardization, under the Ministry of Economy and Industry, is in charge of enforcement of mandatory standards and approval of testing laboratories. It also has responsibility for enforcement of technical regulations (mandatory standards). However, there are more than 20 governmental authorities that enforce technical regulations pertinent to their fields of activity. For example, (...) the Ministry of National Infrastructure deals with fuel and energy efficiency.

Table 3.13 Equivalence of Israeli standards with international standards, 2017
Israeli standards Mandatory Israeli standards Mandatory Israeli standards equivalent to international, regional or other foreign standards Equivalence (%)
(…)
Environmental protection 139 1 1 100
(...)