Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-09-16-Speech-4-052"
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"en.19990916.3.4-052"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, since 1972 the EC and UNRWA have concluded nine agreements concerning the EC’s contribution to UNRWA. The EU is the leading donor of economic and financial aid in this region. In this way, we shall, in the future, too, have a considerable responsibility for the Palestinian refugees. For the period 1999 to 2001, UNRWA has requested an amount of EUR 120 million. The major part of this amount – EUR 102 million – is earmarked for UNRWA’s education programme, and EUR 18 million for the health programme.
We Greens welcome the fact that the new programme is being discussed promptly by the EU Commission and by the Committees of the European Parliament. We ought to be agreeing to its submission to the plenum equally promptly. Above all, there should be no reductions in the budget, and discussions about the programme’s legal basis should not further obstruct its submission. These problems appear now to have been solved, however, just as the justified criticism by the Court of Auditors of the lack of supervision in implementing the old contracts has been removed. Transparency is the basis of our budgeting. This must be guaranteed even in urgent cases of humanitarian aid, for all we are in fact doing in the end is passing on taxpayers’ money.
The programme is urgently necessary, for health care and the education programme are basic services. The education programme has become UNRWA’s biggest single area of activity. 445 young people are being educated at school and 6000 are receiving training. We also welcome health care based on needs. This is provided at local authority level, directly to the people, through a network of 123 health centres. The Palestinian refugees are in need of this help, for the refugee situation, which has lasted for years, has serious psychological effects on many people. To these are added many forms of social and economic discrimination. Now as before, a political solution to the problem of the Palestinian refugees is urgently needed. Peace negotiations have finally begun again, but cease-fires and status negotiations are not enough because the Palestinian refugees are still ignored. We must offer them prospects for the future. The EU can contribute a lot here.
At present, day-to-day deprivation must however be at least partly reduced by means of this programme. Our group is therefore fully endorsing Mrs Morgantini’s report. The Palestinian refugees can count on our support and our solidarity."@en1
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