Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-14-Speech-2-228"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030114.6.2-228"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
". – Following a request from the Council, the Commission compiled in January last year a list of projects funded by the European Union and Member States which had either been destroyed or damaged by Israeli military forces. The list of destroyed projects has recently been updated by the Commission office in Jerusalem, in coordination with the EU Member State representative offices in Jerusalem and Ramallah. The estimated total, as of 14 December last year, stands at approximately EUR 24 million. This assessment is limited to the costs of physical infrastructure, excluding indirect losses such as project delays or suspensions.
These estimated damages were presented to the General Affairs Council of 28 January last year; the GAC in turn asked the Government of Israel to put an end to this practice and reserved the right to claim reparation in the appropriate fora. The issue was also more recently discussed at the EU-Israel Association Council meeting of 21 October 2002.
The position of the European Union in the international community is that the wanton destruction of basic infrastructure and facilities is counter-productive. It sets back efforts to improve the economic, social and humanitarian development in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Poverty levels are now at over 60% and unemployment is at around 50%. This situation of economic collapse, and a deepening humanitarian crisis, destroys hope and destroys any prospect of stability and security for both Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel, due to its relatively high average income per inhabitant, is not eligible to benefit from bilateral European Union funding under MEDA programmes. So the Israeli Government or Israeli public entities do not receive funding from the European Union aid budget. Some organisations from civil society in Israel and the Palestinian territories may apply for projects designed to support the peace process. These projects should, in our view, be pursued in any circumstances.
Some organisations have advocated – and this has been debated in Parliament – commercial sanctions against Israel. I am bound to say that in my strong judgment the suspension of the association agreement, which provides the basis not only for the European Union's trade relations with Israel but also for its political dialogue, would do nothing at all to increase the understanding of the Israeli authorities in relation to the current widely held concerns of the European Union and of many European Union citizens.
A summary table of financial aid given by the European Union to the Palestinian Authority from 1994 to 2002, as well as the updated table with the estimate of losses, are being sent directly to the honourable Member."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples