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Questions updated on Monday, 28 April 2014

P-004941/2014Question for written answer
to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)
Rule 117
Bastiaan Belder (EFD)

VP/HR – European Court of Auditors report on direct financial support to the Palestinian Authority and Parliament’s discharge resolution

Concerning the report by the European Court of Auditors on direct financial support to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Parliament resolution P7_TA(2014)0288(1):

  1. The Commission and the EEAS have noted that the Pegase DFS programme is to some extent guided by the indicators contained in the Palestinian National Development Plan (NDP). In the 2011-2013 NDP respect for human rights was mentioned, and in the 2014-2016 NDP the PA will make ‘respect for human rights’ one of the new principles. Is the Vice-President/High Representative of the opinion that, following the ‘more for more’ principle, support from Pegase DFS should be conditional upon respect for human rights, given the human rights concerns such as complaints by Christians of ‘increasing pressure in Palestinian society to accommodate conservative Islamic values’(2)? If not, why not?
  2. How do the Commission and the EEAS make sufficient use of the large-scale funding from Pegase DFS to leverage reforms from the PA? Does the Vice-President/High Representative have any practical examples where Pegase DFS funding has leveraged reforms by the PA? To what extent does the Vice-President/High Representative consider such an approach effective given the deteriorating fiscal situation? Are new measures being drawn up to achieve desired reforms from the PA?
  3. How do the Commission and the EEAS envision the implementation of Article 283 of Parliament resolutionP7_TA(2014)0288, which requests the modification of the programmes ‘with the aim of a sustainable employment perspective and administrative improvement’?

(1) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2014-0288

(2) The challenges and concerns were raised on page 6 of the Commission’s Joint Staff Working Document ‘Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in Palestine. Progress in 2013 and recommendations for action’, 27.3.2014, http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/pdf/2014/country-reports/palestine_en.pdf

E-004595/2014Question for written answer
to the Commission (Vice-President/High Representative)
Rule 117
Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris (PPE)
VP/HR – Suspension of transfers of tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the PNA

Israel has taken the decision to impose sanctions on the Palestinian National Authority, involving the suspension of transfers of tax revenues which the government in Tel Aviv collects on behalf of the PNA. This is an amount of some 100 million dollars per month, equivalent to around two thirds of the PNA’s total budget. According to the government, the amounts withheld will instead be used to pay off Palestinian debts to the Israeli utility companies. According to a government source, the decision has been taken in reprisal for the PNA’s decision to apply for membership of thirteen different agencies of the United Nations.

Does the Vice-President/High Representative intend to express a view on the matter?

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