מינהל כחול לבן

On August 30, 2009, the government accepted the "Choose Blue and White" Proposal, a program to promote Israeli products, and to leverage the acquisitions to increase employment.

Accordingly, to encourage preference for Israeli products, a Blue and White Headquarters was set up by the Ministry of Economy in collaboration with the Manufacturers' Association and the New Histadrut.

 Key Aspects of the Government Decision

• The government determines that promoting local industry and reducing unemployment are a national challenge that can be dealt with, in part, by encouraging the preferential purchase of Israeli products.

• To instruct the government ministries to act in this spirit.

• To instruct the Ministerial Committee on Symbolic and Ceremonial Affairs to consider preferential purchasing for "blue-and-white" products as one of the topics that will be an option for the central theme of the Independence Year.
• To instruct the Minister of Education to consider, in accordance with his authority, and the Minister of Economy in his ministry, to incorporate the subject of the preference for Israeli products and associated values into school curricula.
• To instruct the Minister of Economy to work together with the Bureau of Economic Organizations to mark "blue-and-white" products in a way that is easy for consumers to identify.
• To establish an inter-ministry steering committee headed by the Director General of the Ministry of Economy to implement the plan. The committee will guide the Blue-and-White Headquarters established in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor regarding the actions required to achieve the plan's goals.

 Main Responsibilities of the Blue and White Headquarters

• Running media campaigns to raise public awareness of the importance of buying local products, both in terms of job creation and also in terms of instilling national pride in buying from local industry.

• Introducing the importance of buying Israeli products to children and youth in schools as part of their curriculum and enrichment studies through workshops, courses, competitions, and education classes.
• Marking Israeli-made product with a registered mark that can be stamped on the products. This is to make it easier for consumers to identify them. Advertising this registered mark in the media.
• Establishing a "Blue and White" website and product catalog to help bring the messages to the public and to provide information on Israeli-made products.
• Initiating collaborations with price comparison and trade sites for marking blue-and-white products on the internet.
• In conjunction with the Government Procurement Administration, dealing with manufacturers' complaints about the discrimination against Israeli-made products in government and public tenders.
• Examining the possibility of legislating the preference for the produce of the land in tenders.

What is an Israeli Product?

A product which at least 35% of its production costs were paid in Israel and to which a significant change was made. See also the "Definitions" section of the Tender Obligations Regulations (Preference for Israeli Products), 1995.