Writing in the German journal Internationale Politik, EU Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen, indicated that he could imagine a closer economic relationship between the EU and Israel, even including Israeli membership in the euro.

According to a report in Austria’s Die Presse, the EU accounts for 33 percent of Israel’s trade, ahead of the United States at 28.6 percent. Israel already has a free-trade agreement with the EU, and polls have indicated 80 percent of Israelis would like their country to be a member of the EU.

Verheugen, who was previously Commissioner for Enlargement, is a advocate of closer ties with Israel.