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Research reveals that EU AI rules stop at its borders with little accountability for human rights impacts abroad

April 16, 2026

The European Union has established comprehensive AI regulations for use within its borders, but European funding and technology continue to flow to high-risk surveillance and AI systems used in West Asia and North Africa without adequate human rights oversight. Research by 7amleh reveals three main channels for this transfer: migration control agreements that provide biometric and surveillance infrastructure to countries like Egypt and Tunisia, research funding through programs like Horizon Europe that support Israeli companies with military applications, and direct commercial exports of surveillance technologies. Despite the EU's own acknowledgment in 2025 that Israel violates human rights and humanitarian law, and evidence linking European-funded AI targeting systems to civilian casualties in Gaza, political and economic interests have blocked meaningful reform.

Who is affected

  • Palestinians in Gaza (approximately 67,000 deaths officially reported, majority civilians)
  • Migrants and asylum seekers in transit through Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon facing detention, violence, and pushback
  • Journalists, activists, and human rights defenders across the West Asia and North Africa region targeted by spyware
  • Communities living under surveillance infrastructure in authoritarian contexts across WANA
  • Civilian populations in active conflict zones where AI targeting systems are deployed

What action is being taken

  • The EU signed agreements with Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Lebanon in 2023 and 2024, conditioning aid on migration control cooperation
  • European money is flowing through migration control programs, research funding (Horizon Europe, European Defence Fund), and the European Investment Fund to surveillance and AI technologies
  • Frontex is operating surveillance drones over the Mediterranean (awarded contracts in 2020 to IAI and Elbit Systems)
  • Israeli companies are deploying AI targeting systems in Gaza
  • A proposal to partially suspend Israeli entities from Horizon Europe has been put forward (as of July 2025) but is being blocked by some member state governments

Why it matters

  • This reveals a fundamental contradiction in EU policy: while the EU positions itself as the world's most ambitious AI regulator through frameworks like the AI Act, these protections do not extend beyond its borders. The gap between domestic regulation and export oversight creates a system where technologies prohibited or restricted within Europe can be freely sold to third countries and used in ways that violate human rights and international humanitarian law. The evidence demonstrates that European funding and technology are contributing to mass surveillance, targeting of civilians, and potential genocide, undermining the EU's stated commitment to human rights. The institutional distance created through indirect funding routes makes accountability structurally difficult, allowing political and economic interests to override ethical obligations despite clear evidence of harm.

What's next

  • The AI Act must be extended to cover exports of systems prohibited or classified as high-risk within the EU
  • Binding human rights due diligence must apply to all exports of AI and dual-use technologies, regardless of company size
  • Migration agreements must be subject to independent, public human rights impact assessments before signature
  • The European Union must urgently reassess Israel's participation in Horizon Europe, including the eligibility of Israeli entities as beneficiaries
  • Funding flows, procurement decisions, and technology transfers must be made more visible and public to enable accountability

Read full article from source: Global Voices